As the Washington Nationals return to West Palm Beach, we can expect to see quite a few unfamiliar faces among them this spring.
I previously provided a quick guide to new pitchers. This part takes a look at the catchers, infielders, and outfielders who are newly in the mix for roles on the team in 2026.
#15 – C Riley Adams (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 83 G, 286 PA, 8 HR, 1/1 SB, 38.5% K, 8% BB+HBP, .186 AVG, .560 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 29
Somewhat surprisingly, the Nats signed Riley Adams to a one-year split deal ahead of the non-tender deadline. Adams had been widely considered a likely non-tender, coming off a dreadful season and out of minor league options. The move seemed all the stranger when the Nats traded for Harry Ford just a couple weeks later. Adams was designated for assignment and outrighted to clear a roster spot for newly acquired reliever Gus Varland in late January. He’s now in camp as a non-roster invitee.
As lousy as Adams’ results were in 2025, he would have ranked among the best in the league in bat speed, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity if he had enough at-bats to qualify, according to Statcast. That suggests some measure of bad luck. On the other hand, that’s the risk a hitter runs when he ends nearly two in every five plate appearances as a strikeout victim. Adams simply didn’t make enough contact, and his work as a receiver rated poorly as well. It’s still an outside possibility he finds his way back to the Show. The Nats may want to carry a third catcher, to reduce the logistical challenges of having their backup catcher DH. But Adams’ lack of positional versatility and options, and his all-around poor 2025 campaign, count significantly against him — and that’s why he’s no longer on the 40-man roster.
#17 – C Harry Ford
2025 stats (MLB): 8 G, 8 PA, 0 HR, 0/0 SB, 37.5% K, 12.5% BB+HBP, .167 AVG, .417 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 97 G, 458 PA, 16 HR, 7/11 SB, 19.2% K, 17.7% BB+HBP, .283 AVG, .868 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 23
Acquired in a surprise trade that sent closer José A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners, MLB Pipeline #71 prospect Harry Ford is poised to be the Nationals’ catcher of the future — and, quite possibly, the present. Ford got a cup of coffee last September after squashing Pacific Coast League pitching all season long. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was particularly exceptional.
In some ways, Ford profiles similarly to Keibert Ruiz, the Nats’ prize pickup from the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade back in 2021. Both are high-contact, low-strikeout, hit-over-power catchers with a mixed defensive reputation. Like Ruiz in 2021, Ford comes to the Nats having just recently debuted with his original team. Ford is both clay to be molded and an MLB-ready addition to the Nats’ positional core. Ruiz remains under control through 2030 — an unfortunate legacy of Mike Rizzo’s disastrous final years at the helm of the Nationals organization. But if Ford can establish himself, as befits his top-100 prospect status, the starting job ought to be his. One wrinkle: Ford will be away from camp for a bit to play in the World Baseball Classic. Even still, he has a good chance to make the Opening Day roster.
#21 – OF Joey Wiemer
2025 stats (MLB): 27 G, 61 PA, 3 HR, 0/0 SB, 37.7% K, 6.6% BB+HBP, .236 AVG, .715 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 82 G, 337 PA, 11 HR, 13/15 SB, 25.8% K, 14.2% BB+HBP, .203 AVG, .671 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 27
The Nats made Joey Wiemer a surprise waiver claim in early January. It didn’t appear Washington had any need of outfielders on the roster. Yet they added Wiemer, a former top prospect and crackerjack outfielder with experience at all three positions — and who is also out of minor league options.
Wiemer’s defensive credentials are strong. He’s never hit for much average, though, and as a major leaguer, he’s struggled to get on base. That’s why he hasn’t lived up to his prospect billing, which rated him as the Brewers’ third-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline as recently as 2023. He does have some pop in his bat and good speed. But you can’t steal first base, and his contact rate is concerning. That said, there’s an opening on any team for a great outfielder with a questionable bat. Wiemer should be in the mix for an Opening Day role this spring. Assuming health, he’ll either make the team out of spring training, or he’ll be back on the waiver wire.
#28 – 1B/3B Yohandy Morales (NRI)
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 128 G, 575 PA, 15 HR, 7/9 SB, 28.5% K, 10.4% BB+HBP, .265 AVG, .769 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 24
Last spring, Yohandy Morales was frankly difficult to watch. His swing looked horribly off-balance, his reads and throws from the third base position were shaky at best, and his body language exuded a total lack of confidence even in exhibition play. He’s back this spring as a non-roster invitee for the second year in a row. We can only hope that a decent season has given Morales a bit more confidence — and, perhaps, that better coaching can smooth out any remaining rough edges.
Morales has gradually shifted more toward being a first baseman, whether because he profiles better there or in deference to Brady House. That actually sets him up well to compete for a role on the Nats this spring. Toboni hasn’t acquired an obvious everyday first baseman yet; Morales could end up on the short side of a platoon. While his overall numbers last season were pretty good, the righty hitter was especially strong with the platoon advantage (.275/.856 vs. LHP). Having reached Triple-A for the first time last year, Morales is on the doorstep of the Show. He has a good chance to make his MLB debut this season.
#33 – OF Christian Franklin
2025 stats (AAA): 117 G, 535 PA, 12 HR, 19/28 SB, 20.6% K, 16.2% BB+HBP, .272 AVG, .817 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 26
Acquired last July from the Cubs for Michael Soroka, Christian Franklin was already off to a solid year for Triple-A Iowa. He hardly missed a beat in his new organization. His performance earned him a spot on the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Franklin demonstrated excellent on-base skills while hitting for some power. His baserunning is a work in progress, but he showed off the type of speed that can impact a game off the bench.
It’s essentially open tryouts for the bench this spring. Keibert Ruiz and Nasim Nuñez are likely the only locks; even they could potentially open the season as everyday players. Franklin will be competing with a group of outfielders that also includes Robert Hassell III, who had an up-and-down role with the Nats in 2025, and Joey Wiemer, who is out of options. While his path onto the Opening Day roster is complicated, Franklin will likely make his MLB debut this season. He doesn’t have a true “carry” tool, but he’s a well-rounded player on the verge of aging out of prospect status, and it’s about time for the Nats to see what he can do.
#34 – C Tres Barrera (NRI)
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 70 G, 269 PA, 8 HR, 1/1 SB, 24.5% K, 13.4% BB+HBP, .209 AVG, .630 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 31
Former catching prospect Tres Barrera is back with the Nats on a minor league deal. Barrera was a member of the 2019 Nationals, making him officially the only player from that team to be active in camp (his former teammate and friend Sean Doolittle is here as a coach). He was suspended in 2020 for a positive steroid test, then returned to the Nats for parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, never really establishing himself as a roster staple. He’s bounced around since then, most recently in the Rays organization, where he didn’t make it back to the big leagues.
The Nats are actually pretty well set with their catching tandem, which can’t be said for every position on the diamond. It’s possible, however, that without a set designated hitter, the Nats will use Harry Ford or Keibert Ruiz to DH on some days when the other catcher is in the crouch. That could open the door to having a third catcher on the team. Nearly three years removed from his last big-league action, Barrera seems like a long shot for that role. Amazingly, FanGraphs says Barrera still has a minor league option. On the off chance he makes the team, he could be shuttled between MLB and the minors.
#35 – 1B Matt Mervis (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 42 G, 134 PA, 7 HR, 0/0 SB, 37.3% K, 9.7% BB+HBP, .175 AVG, .637 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 65 G, 267 PA, 19 HR, 5/5 SB, 25.5% K, 9% BB+HBP, .248 AVG, .885 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 27
It would be a genuine feel-good story if Matt Mervis were to make the team. Born in Washington, D.C., Mervis grew up a Nats fan. His dream of being drafted by his hometown team came true in 2016, but as a 39th-round pick, the Duke commit made the difficult decision to turn down the opportunity to go pro with the Nats and go to school instead. He ended up playing all four years before running into the abbreviated 2020 draft season, although he was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent. Traded to the Marlins ahead of the 2025 season, Mervis immediately broke out with a seven-homer, .848 OPS April. Things fell apart for the lefty slugger in May. Mervis was designated for assignment at the end of the month. Released in August, he finished out the season with the Diamondbacks organization but didn’t make it back to MLB with his new club.
Mervis got a lovely Christmas present in the form of a second chance with the Nats. The first base picture in D.C. is as-yet unresolved. Mervis will compete with several other players in camp to figure into it. He brings prodigious power and neutral platoon splits to the equation. But he’s also on the older side (28 in April), runs a high strikeout rate, and doesn’t have a high on-base percentage. It would be a terrific story to have another slugger from the DMV on the team, but Mervis has work to do first.
#38 – UTL Trey Lipscomb (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 3 G, 4 PA, 0 HR, 0/0 SB, 25% K, 0% BB+HBP, .500 AVG, 1.000 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 122 G, 489 PA, 11 HR, 12/18 SB, 19.4% K, 7.6% BB+HBP, .249 AVG, .697 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 25
Infielder Trey Lipscomb made the 2024 Nationals roster out of spring training with an eye-opening turn in the Grapefruit League. Alas, like so many others before him, Lipscomb cooled off and wore down. He’s seen his role progressively diminish from part-time starter, to bench player, to up-and-down piece, to organizational depth. He was designated for assignment at the end of the 2025 season, through which he took only four plate appearances in the big leagues. Outrighted to Triple-A, he remains in the organization and will be in his third consecutive major league spring training.
One positive thing did come out of Lipscomb’s 2025 season: He began playing more outfield, mostly left field with a few games in right. That gives him some additional flexibility, which is valuable for a bench player. Even with another strong spring training, Lipscomb will probably return to Triple-A Rochester and continue to figure as organizational depth. But the more versatility he has, the better his chances of making it back to the Show at some point.
#48 – UTL Phillip Glasser (NRI)
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 124 G, 544 PA, 7 HR, 32/43 SB, 11.4% K, 12.5% BB+HBP, .302 AVG, .793 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 26
While he’s never been among the Nats’ most highly ranked prospects, Phillip Glasser has done nothing but produce. That’s been the case since he was drafted in the tenth round out of Indiana University three years ago. As a senior sign, Glasser was never likely to grab much attention. Having turned 26 in December, he’s nearly aged out of prospect status anyway. But Glasser is participating in his first major league camp on the heels of yet another very solid season — one in which he got on base via the walk or hit by pitch more than he struck out, at that.
Glasser has some positional versatility, appearing professionally at every position except pitcher, catcher, and center field. In the high minors, he has bounced between second base and the corner outfield positions as needed. Versatility is good, especially since the Nats’ bench picture is wide-open right now. So is speed, which is also part of Glasser’s game. Glasser won’t be any betting person’s early favorite to make the team. But he’s a prospect worth watching this spring and beyond.
#56 – 3B/2B Cayden Wallace (NRI)
2025 stats (AA): 121 G, 481 PA, 10 HR, 16/18 SB, 23.5% K, 9.6% BB+HBP, .242 AVG, .686 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 24
One of the highest-rated prospects the Nats acquired during their July 2024 selloff, former Royals top infield prospect Cayden Wallace has seen his star wane in the Nationals organization. Although he had his moments as a non-roster invitee last spring, Wallace ended up struggling through an up-and-down season with Double-A Harrisburg. He somewhat salvaged his year with a season-ending hot streak. It wasn’t enough to crack the 40-man roster after the season, or to be selected to another team’s major league roster in the Rule 5 draft. Most organizational prospect rankings have dropped him out of the Nats’ top 30.
A pure third baseman earlier in his career, Wallace began seeing some time at second base last spring. He’s still primarily a third baseman, however. While he’s blocked for now by Brady House, this will be a very important season for House after an unconvincing rookie season. It’s way too early for Wallace to worry about that, though. Wallace is 25 in August, and he’ll need to make his way to Triple-A and show that hot streak at the end of 2025 wasn’t a total fluke to remain a relevant prospect.
#57 – 1B/3B Warming Bernabel (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 40 G, 146 PA, 4 HR, 1/2 SB, 17.1% K, 4.8% BB+HBP, .252 AVG, .698 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 75 G, 316 PA, 8 HR, 5/6 SB, 12.3% K, 8.5% BB+HBP, .301 AVG, .806 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 23
2025 really seemed like it was shaping up to be a breakout year for Warming Bernabel. After an impressive run for Triple-A Albuquerque, Bernabel was called up by the Rockies. He rewarded them by hitting .500 with three home runs across his first seven MLB games. Unfortunately, Bernabel couldn’t sustain his success, hitting a prolonged cold streak after that. He seemed to be getting things going again in September, only to suffer a concussion that took him out of action for a couple weeks. After the season, the Rockies released Bernabel. He was quickly snapped up by the Nats on a minor league contract.
Bernabel has always had a hit-over-power profile that is an awkward fit for a first baseman. He only hit one more homer for Colorado after that magical first week. His season high at the minor league level is fourteen (back in 2022). He struggled enough that even the lowly Rockies, MLB’s worst team in 2025, decided to cut bait. There’s a lot of blue on his Statcast page. But Bernabel is still quite young, and some of his outcomes are intriguing. Against left-handed pitching, he slashed a healthy .346/.843 last year, with a strikeout rate below 10%. He also has some speed and rates well as a defender at first base. The Nats could consider him for the short side of a platoon, paired with a lefty slugger like Abimelec Ortiz or Matt Mervis. His likely competition for such an assignment includes Andrés Chaparro as well as fellow NRI Yohandy Morales.
#59 – OF Andrew Pinckney (NRI)
2025 stats (AAA): 125 G, 509 PA, 20 HR, 34/39 SB, 29.1% K, 11% BB+HBP, .269 AVG, .780 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 25
A power/speed combo is always intriguing, and that’s what outfield prospect Andrew Pinckney possesses. A 20/30 season in the International League tends to get people’s attention. It’s no surprise that Pinckney has surged up organizational prospect rankings and earned his first non-roster invitee to major league spring training.
A few things hold Pinckney back from being an elite prospect. He strikes out a little too much and doesn’t walk quite often enough. He’s slightly on the older side, having just turned 25 in December. And, of course, Pinckney was a senior sign — the draft status that all but guarantees prospect-heads won’t give a player the time of day. But that doesn’t matter. While the outfield picture is crowded in D.C., Pinckney’s tools and performance have put him squarely in line for a call-up before too long. He’ll get a chance to showcase his ability this spring.
#66 – SS Seaver King (NRI)
2025 stats (A+/AA): 125 G, 551 PA, 6 HR, 30/34 SB, 21.1% K, 6.9% BB+HBP, .244 AVG, .631 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 22
Most evaluators would say the Nats reached for Wake Forest product Seaver King with the 10th pick of the 2024 draft. Since turning pro, King’s numbers during the season have been rather uninspiring, although he made his way to Double-A for the first time this year. There are those, however — like Keith Law — who still believe in King. Law recently ranked him among MLB’s top 100 prospects. That bullishness puts Law on an island among prospect-heads. But it may well line up with opinions in a newly analytics-driven front office and player development system.
King did finish 2025 on a high note. He caught fire over the last weeks of the season, staying hot with a brilliant showing (.359/1.031! 24 RBIs!) in the Arizona Fall League. Law believes he got bad advice from a coach early in 2025 that screwed up his swing for a while. He thinks with the adjustments he made late in the year, King is poised for a breakout. While King likely isn’t in the mix for a roster spot, his path to the majors could clear up with a quickness if the Nats end up trading CJ Abrams and/or Luis García Jr. Either way, if King can carry forward his Fall Stars-worthy performance — still a big if — it would be hard to keep him down on the farm for long.
#80 – SS Sergio Alcántara (NRI)
2025 stats (MLB): 1 G, 4 PA, 0 HR, 0/0 SB, 50% K, 0% BB+HBP, .000 AVG, .000 OPS
2025 stats (AAA): 113 G, 441 PA, 2 HR, 4/8 SB, 19.7% K, 15.6% BB+HBP, .251 AVG, .708 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 29
“Why do we like him?” “Because he gets on base.” If shortstop Sergio Alcántara has a carry tool, it’s his plate discipline. While he’s never hit much, and he doesn’t make much impact when he connects, Alcántara has consistently run an OPS in the high .300s in Triple-A. On the flip side, Alcántara is 29 and hasn’t seen much action in MLB since 2022. He spent most of the 2025 season in between the Giants and Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliates.
Alcántara falls into the mold of former blink-and-you-missed-them Nats infielders like Dee Strange-Gordon, Alcides Escobar, and others I’ve doubtless forgotten. While he can put up professional plate appearances, he’s not here to hit. He’s not expected to hit. He’s here in case Washington needs a player who can cover a few games at shortstop. He is out of options, which is a strike against him in any roster decisions this spring. Barring a huge Grapefruit League performance or serious depletion of the Nats’ shortstop ranks before Opening Day, he’ll probably start the season with Triple-A Rochester.
#81 – 1B/OF Abimelec Ortiz
2025 stats (AA/AAA): 130 G, 556 PA, 25 HR, 4/6 SB, 22.1% K, 13.5% BB+HBP, .257 AVG, .835 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 24
While Abimelec Ortiz was hardly the centerpiece of the five-prospect package that landed MacKenzie Gore for the Texas Rangers last month, he’s the only one of those players we’re likely to see in Washington this season. The Puerto Rican slugger was added to the 40-man roster after a tremendous Triple-A debut with the Round Rock Express. Ortiz was actually better at the Triple-A level than he was in Double-A. His .953 OPS over 41 Triple-A games rates as impressive even in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. (It’s worth noting Round Rock’s home ballpark is considered to be pitcher-friendly, unlike many of the PCL’s infamous launching pads in places like Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and El Paso.)
The Nats haven’t solved their first base puzzle in very convincing fashion this offseason. Many of the offseason acquisitions have been first basemen of questionable merit, of which Ortiz is merely one. Still, it seems likely he’ll get a long look this spring. Indeed, he is a candidate to make his major league debut on Opening Day. While the 5-foot-10, 230-pound Ortiz isn’t exactly the archetypical first baseman, it would be great for the Nats if he can at least hold down the long side of a platoon — ideally, for years to come.
#82 – C Caleb Lomavita (NRI)
2025 stats (A+/AA): 108 G, 446 PA, 6 HR, 7/8 SB, 20.6% K, 9.4% BB+HBP, .275 AVG, .714 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 23
Drafted with a pick traded to the Nats in the Hunter Harvey deal in July 2024, Caleb Lomavita has been steadily progressing through the system. He reached Double-A Harrisburg last season. As a catcher, Lomavita’s reputation hasn’t really improved from pre-draft assessments. He committed an eye-watering 21 errors behind the plate last season, to go along with eight passed balls in just 81 games caught. As a hitter, Lomavita is better regarded. He has consistently hit for a high average, also showing some gap-to-gap power. He doesn’t hit many out of the park, though, and he doesn’t walk much (bizarrely, he took a base on balls only four more times in 2025 than he did on a hit-by-pitch).
Lomavita is very much still a work in progress. Being in major league camp will give him an opportunity to work with the Nats’ highly regarded new catching coach, former big league catcher Bobby Wilson. That said, if his work behind the plate doesn’t improve, the Nats may be forced to consider a position change for Lomavita. The thickly built, 5-foot-10 Hawaiian likely isn’t well suited for the infield. A catcher’s arm could play in a corner outfield spot, though. The better outcome would be for Lomavita to make the needed defensive adjustments and find his way to the Show as a bat-first, hit-over-power backup catcher.
2B Orelvis Martínez (NRI)
2025 stats (AAA): 99 G, 394 PA, 13 HR, 2/2 SB, 28.4% K, 13.7% BB+HBP, .176 AVG, .636 OPS
Age on Opening Day: 24
Little noticed amidst a September swoon that sent the Nats to their final 66-96 record last year, Washington signed former Blue Jays top prospect Orelvis Martínez to an unusual minor league contract covering the remainder of 2025 as well as 2026. Dealing with an injury at the time, Martínez didn’t end up getting into a game with Triple-A Rochester. That left a lackluster showing for Triple-A Buffalo all he has to show for his latest campaign.
Just two years ago, Martínez was the second-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline in the (admittedly weak, at the time) Blue Jays system. Nothing has gone right for him since then. He made his major league debut in 2024, then two days later, he was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He hasn’t made it back to MLB since then, leaving a single game as his major league legacy thus far. His performance fell off a cliff in 2025, and the Jays released him a few weeks before the end of the regular season. Still just 24 for the entire 2026 season, the now-Nationals prospect still has a chance to right the ship. But to say he has a lot to prove would be an understatement.
Check back tomorrow for part 3(!) of this series: a guide to the Nats’ new major league coaches.
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