WASHINGTON -- Already among MLB’s youngest rosters, the Nationals got even younger on Tuesday.
Weeks after the club designated veteran right-handers Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas for assignment, the Nationals DFA’d veteran righty Trevor Williams.
“It was really hard,” manager Blake Butera said of the discussion he had with Williams. “Same as the conversations with Littell and Miles. But even more so with Trevor given the contributions that he’s made to this organization, the length of time that he’s been here and just what he’s meant to our team and to our organization for a while now.”
Williams initially signed a two-year deal with the Nationals in December 2022 and went on to spend parts of four seasons with the club (Williams signed another two-year pact in December 2024). He ultimately went 15-21 with a 4.81 ERA in 68 appearances (60 starts).
Along the way, Williams embraced his role as a veteran presence on a team in transition. The 34-year-old was the elder statesman in a clubhouse that now includes just two 30-somethings (relievers Jake Bird and Tom Cosgrove, both 30).
In recent weeks, Williams organized the club’s "Christmas in July" celebration and set up a team Karaoke night on a recent road trip.
“Just the things that he was able to do because of the time that he had spent in the big leagues and the different ups and downs that he had seen,” Butera said. “I couldn’t thank him enough for helping keep this group together and focused as well as he did.”
Williams made 30 starts in 2023 and was 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA through 11 starts in 2024, before a flexor muscle strain limited him to just two more starts over the season’s final four months.
An elbow issue led to internal brace surgery which cut his 2025 campaign short and kept him from making his 2026 debut until July 29. In eight appearances since, all in relief, Williams pitched to a 2.65 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings.
“It’s tough because he was pitching well,” Butera said. “I told Trevor that I think the hardest part is that he was here. Every home game when he was hurt, he was itching to get back to help us however he could.
“It was not an easy decision, but at the end of the day, I trust that the front office is making the best decisions for now and also the long term and what this is going to look like two years from now, three years from now. We have to make decisions in real time that also have an eye on the future.”
Williams’ DFA corresponded with the Nationals activating right-hander Matt Waldron, who they claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays over the weekend.
Waldron, 29, spent parts of six seasons in the Padres organization before a three-week cameo with Toronto earlier this month. A versatile arm who started 26 games with San Diego in 2024, Waldron’s repertoire includes a knuckleball, which he uses about 30 percent of the time.
“I feel like my role has been a little different this year,” Waldron said. “I’ve started games, I’ve been an opener and then I’ve been throwing in the eighth or ninth innings. So, any opportunity right now sounds good.”