PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals had not used an opener in years. The Rays, on the other hand, popularized the strategy. Nationals manager Blake Butera brought his experience from his previous organization to the Nats on Tuesday against the Phillies.

PHILADELPHIA – Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer has done what only one player has done in the last 106 years.

PHILADELPHIA -- Foster Griffin sat calmly in the Nationals clubhouse three hours before first pitch. He looked like he was preparing for the game just like any other player in the room: locked in and focused, but not like someone who was about to appear in his first Major League

CHICAGO -- One way to get acclimated to a new team is to set a franchise record in the first series of the season. After years of grinding to establish himself on a Major League roster, that’s how outfielder Joey Wiemer has begun his tenure with the Nationals. “It means

This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The young Nationals heard the crowd was going to be loud at Wrigley. Then they had trouble hearing one another. In the second inning of the Nats’ 10-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday afternoon, shortstop Nasim Nuñez and left fielder Daylen Lile collided chasing a fly ball

CHICAGO -- From the first day of Spring Training, the Nationals emphasized accountability as a core belief this season. As it turns out, the first game of the season presented an opportunity for that. “On Thursday, [CJ Abrams] crushed that ball to right field and gets thrown out at second

CHICAGO -- Cade Cavalli estimates he has watched "Rookie of the Year," the 1993 baseball classic, “hundreds of times.” It was a childhood favorite for Cavalli and his brother, a film that embedded early sights and scenes of Wrigley Field into his memory. Cavalli wrote his own narrative at the

CHICAGO -- Manager Blake Butera tried to swiftly dash into his office after delivering his postgame address to the team, but there was no way his energized players were going to let him slip away without a proper celebration. “I got crushed,” Butera said with a smile.

After returning to the October stage last fall following a four-year hiatus from the playoffs, the Cubs are hungry for more this year. Chicago is aiming for a National League Central crown and hopes to follow that with a run to the World Series. That journey begins on Opening Day

CHICAGO -- The Nationals, in their first season with a revamped front office and coaching staff, set their 2026 Opening Day roster. Moving forward throughout the season, expect that group to frequently have a different look. "Things have been changing every day," manager Blake Butera said prior to the Nationals'

This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The sound of tires rolling across the cement walking paths and onto the dirt of the warning tracks became a familiar noise throughout the Nationals’ complex this Spring Training. With the Nats’ new coaching staff operating an action-packed, condensed training schedule each day, they implemented

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- In a surprising roster move with camp winding down, the Nationals optioned outfielder Dylan Crews to Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, has slashed .103/.206/.103 with a .309 OPS in his first 12 Grapefruit League games.

MESA, Ariz. – The Cubs enter this season with World Series aspirations after their October run ended in the National League Division Series vs the Brewers last season. The Nationals head into a new era with manager Blake Butera taking the reins for a ballclub trying to build toward the

JUPITER, Fla. -- This time last year, Gavin Fien was a senior in high school sitting in the stands watching his older brother, Dylan, play for the A’s in their Spring Breakout game. On Thursday, he was on the field setting the record for most RBIs in that very showcase.

JUPITER, Fla. -- There was a breeze at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday, but it was generated by the speed of 18-year-old Miguel Sime Jr.’s 100.8 mph fastball that blew the helmet off No. 5 overall prospect JJ Wetherholt. In the Nationals' 9-8 loss to the Cardinals in their

The Nationals are at the dawn of a new era under first-year manager Blake Butera and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. The Nats also have a glut of promising prospects who will soon be expected to lead this franchise into a brighter future. And you can get a

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals entered Spring Training with a competition at catcher, and that role became more clear on Wednesday. The Nats optioned Harry Ford (No. 3 prospect, MLB No. 71) to Triple-A Rochester and reassigned Riley Adams to Minor League camp. Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – On Monday, we brought you Part 1 of MLB.com’s one-on-one Q&A with Nationals manager Blake Butera, where he talked about growing up in a sports family. Today, we bring you Part 2. Learn more about Butera off the field, from fatherhood to cooking skills to

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Blake Butera is in his first year as a Major League manager for the Nationals, but for the 33-year-old, baseball has been a focal point of his entire life. In Part 1 of this two-part Q&A, MLB.com chatted one-on-one with Butera about the game that

This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A random Saturday afternoon in March of 2026 offered a glimpse of what the Nationals could see on the field years down the road. With 20-year-old left-hander Alex Clemmey starting and 23-year-old Harry Ford behind the plate in a Major League exhibition against the Marlins,

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Between roster moves, a Spring Training debut and a significant step in Tommy John recovery, the Nationals' starting rotation was the hot topic at camp on Friday. Among the seven players impacted by roster moves, left-handers Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez were optioned to Triple-A

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – From 2020-23, Paolo Espino eagerly said “yes” to taking the ball in various roles for the Nationals. Starter, long reliever, a one-inning stint, he did it all when needed. Espino’s four-season stint in Washington, D.C, was only a fraction of his 20-year career in professional