Robles is starting in right field and batting ninth Saturday in Boston.
He has started over Nick Senzel in back-to-back games against a right-handed pitcher (both Senzel and Robles bat right-handed), which allows the Nationals to plug Jesse Winker in at designated hitter to improve the outfield defense. Robles returned Friday from a hamstring injury and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. At least until the Nationals promote James Wood, it looks like Robles will get to play a decent amount in the short term.
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Nationals' Nick Senzel: Sitting against another righty
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Senzel is not in Saturday's lineup against the Red Sox.
He will sit for a second day in a row with the Nationals facing a righty, and on both occasions Victor Robles picked up the start in the outfield with Jesse Winker sliding to designated hitter. Senzel is hitting .214 with a 42.4 percent strikeout rate in 28 at-bats this month.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Builds up to 45 pitches
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Cavalli (elbow) threw 45 pitches over the equivalent of 2.2 innings in a live bullpen session Friday at the Nationals' spring training complex at West Palm Beach, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The Nationals are being deliberate with the 25-year-old's recovery from March 2023 Tommy John surgery, but Cavalli is in the home stretch. The team hasn't indicated when he might begin a rehab assignment, but he could join the big-league rotation in late June or early July.
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Nationals' Josiah Gray: Not yet throwing breaking balls
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Gray threw 35 pitches Friday in a bullpen session at Fenway Park, all fastballs, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The right-hander has been sidelined since April 4 due to a flexor strain in his elbow. Gray is slowly building up in bullpen sessions, and the Nationals haven't indicated yet when he might begin a rehab assignment, but he'll need to start ramping things up quickly if he's going to return to the big-league rotation before the end of May.
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Nationals' Eddie Rosario: Stays hot Friday
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Rosario went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in Friday's 5-1 win over the Red Sox.
The 32-year-old got the start in left field and continued a sudden hot streak that has seen Rosario rack up eight hits in the last five games with two homers, three steals, four RBI and eight runs. That surge comes on the heels of an 0-for-27 slump though, and on the season he has a .159/.219/.295 slash line. Rosario still has a big hole to climb out of, and with Victor Robles healthy again, the competition for outfield/DH at-bats with the Nats has gotten even more crowded.
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Nationals' Victor Robles: Two hits in return to lineup
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Robles went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 5-1 win over the Red Sox.
Getting the start in right field and batting ninth in his first MLB action in over a month, Robles showed that he was fully recovered from his hamstring injury by stealing his third bag of the season. Jacob Young has grabbed hold of the starting job in center field in Robles' absence however, and with prospects like James Wood banging on the door for a promotion, it's tough to see a path to consistent at-bats for Robles now that he's back.
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Nationals' Patrick Corbin: Finally gets in win column
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Corbin (1-3) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on seven hits and a walk over five innings in a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out four.
The veteran southpaw tossed 54 of 86 pitches before exiting with a 3-1 lead, and the Washington bullpen was able to shut down Boston the rest of the way. Corbin has begun to show faint signs of turning things around, and over his last four starts he has a 3.54 ERA while serving up only one homer in 20.1 innings. His 14:8 K:BB and 1.57 WHIP over that stretch aren't particularly encouraging, however. He'll try to build on this performance in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week against the White Sox.
Senzel is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Boston.
Senzel closed out April with a power surge, but the strikeouts have piled up on him in May, as he's whiffed at a 42.4 percent rate in seven contests. He'll get a day off to regroup. Jesse Winker will be the Nationals' designated hitter Friday, while Eddie Rosario will hold down left field.
Hassell was named the Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old outfielder has been on a heater longer than just one week, however. Hassell has nine multi-hit performances in the last 14 games for Double-A Harrisburg, slashing .434/.508/.585 over that stretch with two homers, nine steals in 10 attempts and a 7:12 BB:K. The improvement in his plate discipline is especially noteworthy -- in 106 games for Harrisburg last season he had a 31.9 percent strikeout rate, a number he's cut down to 19.3 percent through 24 contests in 2024. A promotion to Triple-A for Hassell should be coming shortly, but the Nationals might be waiting to bump James Wood up to the majors to open up a starting job in the outfield at Rochester.
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Nationals' James Wood: Organization preaching patience
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Wood won't be rushed to the majors ahead of the Nationals' schedule for him, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.
After slugging two more homers Wednesday, the 21-year-old outfielder has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games for Triple-A Rochester, slashing .356/.449/.542 over that stretch with a 10:13 BB:K. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday the organization is sticking to its plan for Wood, however, and that he still has some things to learn in the minors. "He needs to get a bunch of at-bats," Martinez said. "He needs to learn some different things. We want him to get better against left-handed pitching. Want him to understand the baserunning stuff. All that stuff. He's striking out 33 percent of the time against lefties, so I really want him to work on that." While the Nats are trying to temper expectations for Wood, it's hard to imagine a veteran player like Eddie Rosario or Jesse Winker would represent a true obstacle for the top prospect once he's deemed ready.
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Nationals' Matt Barnes: Outrighted to minors
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The Nationals outrighted Barnes to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Barnes looks as though he'll stick around in the Nationals organization after he went unclaimed off waivers upon being designated for assignment earlier this week. The right-hander was cast off the 40-man roster after turning in a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 13.1 innings out of the Washington bullpen this season.
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Nationals' Eddie Rosario: Belts clutch homer
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Rosario went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Orioles.
The Nationals were down to their last out against Baltimore closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning when Rosario came through with a solo blast to center field to cut the deficit to one. Washington plated another run in the frame to send the game into extra innings, though the team ultimately fell short. The blast was another step in the right direction for Rosario, who recently went through an 11-game, 0-for-27 slump. Since then, the veteran outfielder has gotten at least one hit in four straight games, going 6-for-14 with two homers and four RBI over that span.
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Nationals' Mitchell Parker: Falls just short of quality start
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Parker allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Baltimore on Wednesday.
Parker served up his first two homers of the season -- both solo shots -- in the contest, but those were the only runs he allowed. He was given the hook after throwing only 77 pitches with two outs in the sixth inning, preventing him from notching his second quality start. Despite that disappointment and the fact that he fanned only three batters, this was another positive outing for the rookie, as he's now given up two or fewer runs in four of his five appearances. Parker has made a strong impression in the majors thus far with a 2.67 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB over 27 innings through five starts.
Gallo (shoulder) went 0-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI on Tuesday in a rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse.
Gallo went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and three walks between a pair of rehab games for Single-A Fredericksburg over the weekend and received the green light to move his assignment to a higher-level affiliate. He served as Syracuse's designated hitter Tuesday but could see action at first base and in the corner outfield for the remainder of his rehab assignment. Gallo may have to settle for a part-time role once the Nationals bring him back from the 10-day injured list.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Picks up 12th save
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Finnegan struck out one batter during a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save Tuesday against Baltimore.
Finnegan has been one of the most reliable closers in the big leagues this season, and he now leads the majors after picking up his 12th save Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander owns a 1.76 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, and he's struck out 15 batters across 15.1 innings on the year.
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Nationals' Trevor Williams: Fires five scoreless
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Williams (4-0) secured the win Tuesday versus the Orioles after throwing five scoreless innings and striking out eight batters while surrendering two hits.
Williams was carving up the Orioles' lineup Tuesday, striking out eight of the first 15 batters he faced while allowing only one baserunner -- a single from Adley Rutschman. Williams likely could have remained in the game longer; however, the Nationals seem determined to keep him limited to roughly 80 pitches per start this season. The 32-year-old right-hander boasts a 1.96 ERA and 1.06 WHIP heading into his next start, tentatively scheduled to come Monday against the White Sox.
