Ortiz, Chaparro platoon providing offensive pop for Nats' revamped lineup

NEW YORK – The Nationals are looking for offense in the wake of James Wood being sidelined and the team trading Luis Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead. The platoon of righty-hitting Andrés Chaparro and lefty-hitting Abimelec Ortiz has stepped up.

“We’re going to do everything we can with the guys that are here and that can play,” manager Blake Butera said before the Nationals’ 4-3 loss to the Mets on Sunday. “So right now, our focus is on the 13 position players that are available and on the lineup card.”

The dynamic of Chaparro and Ortiz gives the Nationals depth to have them in the lineup at the same time. On Sunday, Ortiz played first base and Chaparro was the designated hitter.

Ortiz homered on Sunday for the fifth home run of his rookie season. He is tied with Joey Meneses for the most homers in their first 14 Major League games in Nationals team history (2005-present). This season, only Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter hit five home runs in his first 14 career games.

“He’s doing a really good job of controlling the zone and hunting the pitches that he’s looking for,” said Butera. “When he gets them, he’s doing damage on them.”

Ortiz, ranked as the Nationals’ No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was acquired from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore deal. New to the organization, the Nationals sensed he was putting pressure on himself in Spring Training. Ortiz got acclimated playing the first half of the season in Triple-A Rochester.

Ortiz debuted on July 12, and he was called up again on Aug. 3. He homered that night in Philadelphia.

“You kind of put a little bit of pressure, you have it in your head,” Ortiz said through translator Mauricio Ortiz. “But as the season goes on, you become more confident.”

Ortiz has hit safely in seven of his last eight games dating back to Aug. 8. He has belted four homers and recorded eight RBIs in that stretch.

“It's been awesome,” said Jake Irvin, Sunday's starter. “It's been fun to watch him. He comes to the field every day with real positive energy, so it's been really cool. Every time he goes up there, you kind of feel like you’ve got a chance for something to happen.”

In the second half of the season, including Sunday’s game, Chaparro is slashing .281/.379/.684. His 1.063 OPS ranks second in the Majors among players with at least 50 plate appearances in the second half.

Chaparro appeared in 33 games after he was acquired from the D-backs in 2024, and he played in 34 Major League games last year. This season, he already has appeared in 54 games with the Nationals.

“I think confidence is the big thing, knowing that he can do it here,” said Butera. “It’s not easy coming to the big leagues and not playing every day. … I think Chappy's done a nice job of sticking with it.”

During their most recent player meeting, which the staff holds with every player individually throughout the season, Chaparro was receptive to feedback on the platoon splits.

“I think it was really helpful, because we talked about his role, how he was here to hit lefties and how to get in the lineup against righties, too,” said Butera. “He was very, very good at self-evaluating. He was like, ‘Look, until I hit lefties really well, I don't deserve to be in the lineup against righties.’

“And then he starts mashing lefties, he goes off after the All-Star break, and he's in there against some righties now. He's earned that opportunity himself.”

Wood, the Nationals’ offensive leader, was placed on the 10-day IL on Aug. 4 because of a left oblique strain. He had hit 30 home runs at the time of his injury. The team was hopeful for a return close to the 10-day allocation, but Wood still is feeling tightness and discomfort. As of Sunday, he was throwing.

“It’s been pretty slow recently,” said Butera. “It just hasn’t subsided the way we’d like it to. So, not a whole lot going on in the moment.”