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 Rochester. Both entered camp as contenders for a final spot in the rotation.
“We want to make sure they know, the expectations for them are super high,” said manager Blake Butera. “Don’t just go down there and go through the motions and pitch in Triple-A; go dominate and show that they need to be back up here. That’s what we want from all of our guys that aren’t necessarily breaking with our team.”
That same afternoon, southpaw DJ Herz threw off the mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery. And later that evening, recently signed veteran Zack Littell made his first start in a Nationals uniform in the team's 8-3 loss to the Mets.
Starting southpaws optioned to Triple-A
Parker, 26, was a candidate to be a long reliever in the Majors after he was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen at the end of last season. From 2024-25, Parker made 59 starts (15-26, 5.09 ERA) and three relief appearances (1-0, 1.42 ERA).
As the Nationals bulked up their starting rotation by signing Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas and Littell, Parker was a possibility to give the Nats valued length in the bullpen. With the fifth spot still uncertain, the Nationals could end up tabbing multi-faceted right-hander Brad Lord for that long-reliever role.
“[Mitchell’s] ability to give us multiple innings, left-handed and has pitched in the big leagues before, it’s a good thing to have,” Butera said, adding, “We still think Mitchell is going to help and contribute to our team this year. Just unfortunately, we have more pitchers than we have spots right now -- which is a good problem, but an unfortunate problem for some guys, too.”
Alvarez came into camp having made his Major League debut last September. He was 1-1 with a 2.31 ERA in five starts with the Nats. Alvarez, 26, went 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA in nine innings this spring.
“He did an outstanding job,” Butera said. “I thought his last couple starts were really good. I know early on, he ran into some trouble in the first inning and then smooth sailing after that. We told him, same thing as Mitchell, they’re going to have a chance to contribute at some point.”
DJ reaches TJ milestone
With teammates and staff watching, Herz achieved the milestone of throwing off the mound for the first time since Tommy John surgery last April. Herz, 25, did his work on the mound inside the batting cages because of rain.
“To be honest, I’m not even going to be watching for anything more than just seeing him on the mound and smiling,” Butera said. “... Now that he’s at the point where he can throw off the mound, he had the biggest smile on his face today. It feels like all the work that he’s put in is worth it because he gets to go out there and be on the mound, where he loves to be. Everyone is just so excited for him.”
Littell makes Nationals debut
In his first game since Oct. 1 of last season, Littell worked three innings, allowing three hits and one run against the Mets. He recorded two strikeouts and did not issue a walk on 39 pitches (28 strikes). Littell then threw another 15 pitches in the bullpen. He mixed his splitter, four-seamer, slider, sweeper and sinker.
“While I’ve thrown to hitters [in the offseason], I haven’t gotten out there and had the pickup and intensity. Delivery was a little bit off, timing was off, which is all normal stuff at this stage,” Littell said. “But I was just happy to be able to play. I think that’s the main goal -- go out there and throw a lot of strikes and get outs. At the end of the day, that’s maybe not necessarily how I wanted to do it, but it got done.”
Said Butera, “He’s a perfectionist, and he expects really, really good stuff out of himself. I thought he was really good, especially for his first time out this year.”
The Nationals are Littell’s sixth team in his nine-year career. He has been learning his new squad in the clubhouse and on the field this week.
“I feel new,” Littell said with a laugh. “I feel a little more comfortable in red having been in Cincinnati. But the guys have been awesome, everything’s been good, the staff has been incredible. I’m as comfortable as you can be after five days, and that’s going to continue to get better.”