WASHINGTON -- With mere days before Opening Day, nothing is set in stone for the Nationals, and that's exactly how the new front office and coaching staff likes it -- with lots of room for flexibility.
"Things have been changing every day," manager Blake Butera said prior to the Nationals' final exhibition game of the spring. "I have probably seven or eight different [Opening Day] lineups that have been written and torn up. ... [And] what our Opening Day lineup looks like, Game 2 will also look different."
So, as the clock winds down toward the start of the regular season, here's one last projection of the Nats’ 2026 Opening Day roster.
Catcher (2): Keibert Ruiz, Drew Millas
The Nationals acquired Harry Ford (Nats No. 3 prospect, MLB No. 71) to be a part of their long-term plans. With just eight games of Major League experience, Washington wants Ford to get more consistent reps, so he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester toward the end of camp, leaving Millas as the backup backstop. Millas has played parts of the last three seasons on the Nats, has a strong familiarity with the pitchers and is lauded for his ABS challenge acumen.
First baseman (1): Luis García Jr.
García all but cemented himself as the starting first baseman this spring, moving over from second base. He'll still get some reps at his former position, but is expected to be the Nationals' main first baseman. Last season, García played two games at first base. He will work to bounce back from an offensive dip in 2025, when his batting average was down to .252 compared to .282 in ‘24.
Second baseman (1): Nasim Nuñez
With García moving to first base, it cements Nuñez at second. A former Rule 5 Draft pick who has not seen consistent playing time, Nuñez has risen to the occasion when given the opportunity. Last season, he logged 89 innings at second base and did not commit an error. He made seven spring starts at second and six at shortstop.
Shortstop (1): CJ Abrams
Abrams returns to the starting shortstop role with electric defensive potential. He will look to improve upon his .962 fielding percentage last season. Abrams has recorded more than 30 stolen bases in each of the last three seasons, and he led the NL in stolen base rate.
Third baseman (1): Brady House
Unlike previous seasons, the Nationals had a starting third baseman heading into camp. House will build on his 73 games of Major League experience after debuting last June. He batted .234 with 11 doubles, four homers and 29 RBIs.
Outfielders (3): LF James Wood, CF Jacob Young, RF Daylen Lile
Young gets the nod in center field with his Gold Glove Award-finalist defense. In spite of a .583 OPS, Young ranked fourth among all players in outfield directional outs above average in 2025. (Remember that kick save at Citi Field?) Early in spring, it was expected that Dylan Crews would be the starting right fielder, however the Nats optioned Crews to Triple-A at the end of camp, wanting him to focus on his offensive adjustments.
DH (1): Andrés Chaparro
There's likely going to be a bit of a revolving door at designated hitter, with the team using the spot to enhance their lineup and get various position players more playing time. So, for the purposes of this, let's put Chaparro in that spot -- though he should get plenty of playing time at first, too.
Bench/Utility (3): OF Joey Wiemer, INF Jorbit Vivas, INF José Tena
Wiemer has some decent experience in the Majors, and provides another outfield option -- particularly to back up Young in center field. Vivas' versatility from second base to shortstop and third is huge. Tena is out of Minor League options, but could make the team if the Nats don't make any waiver claims before Opening Day.
Starting Pitchers (5): RHP Cade Cavalli, RHP Zack Littell, RHP Jake Irvin, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Miles Mikolas
Cavalli had a strong spring and was rewarded by being named the Opening Day starter ahead of his first full season back from a three-year Tommy John recovery. The Nationals signed veterans Littell and Mikolas during camp to be part of the rotation. Littell, who joined the team on March 10, might not be ready for Opening Day -- but he'll be in the rotation, even if he misses the first turn through. Josiah Gray is still building up in his return from Tommy John surgery, which he'll do at Triple-A Rochester. The Nats are not going to rush Gray for the sake of Opening Day.
Relief Pitchers (8): RHP Cole Henry, RHP Clayton Beeter, LHP Cionel Pérez, LHP PJ Poulin, RHP Brad Lord, RHP Andre Granillo, LHP Ken Waldichuk, RHP Gus Varland
This is the part of the projection that causes the most back-and-forth consideration. The final bullpen spots are far from finalized, even with mere days before the season starts. The only true locks for the bullpen are Henry, Beeter, Pérez (who will need to be added to the 40-man roster), Poulin and Lord. After that, your guess is as good as ours.