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' 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."
Here are the players with the Nationals on Opening Day at Wrigley Field (Thurs., 2:20 p.m. ET) against the Cubs.
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. 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.
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. Cavalli, Mikolas and Irvin are slated to pitch in the opening series against the Cubs.
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
Multi-role pitcher Lord is in the bullpen to begin the season as a multi-inning reliever. Henry and Beeter are expected to be the high-leverage go-tos. Pérez, Granillo, Waldichuk and Varland made the team after impressing the Nationals in Spring Training.