Noll makes Nationals' Opening Day roster

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals arrived at Spring Training with a roster seemingly all but set, with little wiggle room or competition. But a few minor injuries created opportunity and Jake Noll, the 25-year old former seventh-round Draft pick invited to camp as a non-roster invitee, seized that chance and ran with it.

In 27 spring games, Noll batted .314/.386/.510 with a pair of homers, four doubles and 10 RBIs, bouncing around the infield at first (10 games), second (three games) and third base (14 games). And when the Nationals released their Opening Day roster on Wednesday night, Noll’s name was on it, securing his spot in the big leagues for the first time in his career.

Let’s take a look at the 25 the Nats will open the season with on the roster when they welcome the Mets to Nationals Park on Thursday:

Catcher (2): Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki
Nats manager Dave Martinez does not have a set plan on how these two will split playing time, but he is willing to let it play out through the course of the season based on a variety of factors, including pitching matchups, the Nats' starter and who is swinging the hotter bat.

First base (2): Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Adams
This is Zimmerman’s job, though the Nats will be sure to give their veteran first baseman ample time to rest to keep him fresh throughout the season. Martinez said the best case scenario for Zimmerman is around 125-135 games, which leaves room for Adams to get plenty of starts at first base, and he will always loom as a left-handed pinch-hitting threat off the bench.

Second base (1): Brian Dozier
Dozier will get a chance to rebound from a down year in 2018, hitting in the middle of the order as the Nats' primary second baseman. They will have other options to replace him if he struggles again, including second-ranked prospect Carter Kieboom, who had a fantastic spring. But for now, Dozier’s job is secure and the Nats believe he is due for a return to form.

Third base (1): Anthony Rendon
A quiet spring for Rendon on the field is just the way he liked it, but as a flurry of extensions spread across Major League Baseball, Rendon is set to enter the final season of his contract. The two sides are open to continue contract negotiations throughout the season, and Rendon insists that will not create any distractions. Judging from his laid-back personality, it is unlikely Rendon will be worried about his future when he is on the field.

Shortstop (1): Trea Turner
It’s almost crazy to suggest the Nats have not seen the best version of Turner, but the 25-year-old shortstop has acknowledged he still feels he can contribute more. He won’t be the Nats' leadoff hitter, but the team wants him to run and run often on the bases this season.

Outfield (4): Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Adam Eaton, Andrew Stevenson
Injuries to Michael A. Taylor (left knee sprain, left hip sprain) opened up this spot for Stevenson, who has the ability to play all three outfield positions and add speed off the bench. Taylor has started some light baseball activity already, swinging off a tee and against soft toss, playing catch from 90 feet and doing some light running. That has the Nats encouraged after the initial diagnosis projected Taylor could miss a “significant amount of time.” Still, they will be without Taylor for the time being, paving the way for Robles to command center field alone.

Utility (2): Wilmer Difo, Jake Noll
Noll's path opened up after Howie Kendrick strained his left hamstring running out a grounder earlier this spring. Kendrick is progressing nicely and hopes to get into Minor League games at some point soon at the team’s complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., but for now Noll claims his spot off the bench, as the team is short on right-handed pinch-hitting options.

Starting pitcher (5): Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Aníbal Sánchez, Jeremy Hellickson
Hellickson will actually start the season as a long reliever in the bullpen, but he will join the team’s rotation after the second turn through. Keeping these five healthy will be paramount to the Nationals' success this season.

Relief pitcher (7): Sean Doolittle, Trevor Rosenthal, Kyle Barraclough, Wander Suero, Matt Grace, Justin Miller, Tony Sipp
Sipp signed late in camp to round out this group and although he never appeared in a Major League Spring Training game, he was confident his pitches were where they needed to be. Ideally, the Nats will use Suero, Grace and Miller to throw multiple innings and get hitters out from both sides of the plate, while Barraclough, Rosenthal and Doolittle line up to pitch the seventh, eight and ninth innings, respectively, with Sipp used to match up against tough lefties.

Injured list: Kendrick, Taylor, Koda Glover