MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Alu to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Alu got on base at a .409 clip over 11 Grapefruit League games, but the fact that he has two minor-league options remaining and slashed a pedestrian .226/.282/.289 over a larger sample of 175 plate appearances in the big leagues last season likely worked against him in his bid for a utility role with the Nationals. He should play on an everyday basis while he's with Rochester.

Reds manager David Bell indicated Sunday that De La Cruz will most likely bat second to begin the season, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell noted that De La Cruz's position in the lineup is the spot he's thought about the most, and the young shortstop has hit second for much of spring training. De La Cruz mostly hit in the top half of the Reds' batting order while he was up last season, although he slid down toward the bottom some in September as his struggles mounted. The switch hitter sported just a .495 OPS with a 40.2 percent strikeout rate against left-handers last season, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he winds up hitting lower versus southpaws. Bell said that Sunday's lineup against the Guardians "could be pretty close" to the one he uses in the regular season, although worth noting is that regulars TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer both had the day off.

The Nationals optioned Willingham to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Willingham was unable to secure a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen after he was roughed up for three earned runs on four hits in three innings over his first three outings in the Grapefruit League. The right-hander had little margin for error in the job battle after he languished in a middle-relief role over his 18 outings for the big club during the 2023 season, posting a 6.66 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 24.1 innings.

The Nationals optioned Parker to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Parker was one of seven players sent out of big-league camp Monday in the Nationals' latest round of roster cuts. The 24-year-old hurler is coming off a stellar 2023 campaign in which he struck out 132 batters over 113.2 innings with Double-A Harrisburg, but he struggled in his late-season promotion to Rochester, as he posted a 10.45 ERA and 2.18 WHIP over 10.1 innings. Parker will look to cut down on the control and command issues in his second go-around at Triple-A in 2024, and if he's able to find success, he could get a look with the Nationals at some point later in the season.

The Nationals optioned Herz to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Herz was one of seven players sent out of big-league camp in the Nationals' latest round of spring roster cuts. Acquired from the Cubs last July in the deal that sent Jeimer Candelario to Chicago, Herz settled at Double-A Harrisburg with his new organization and turned in a 2.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 53:20 K:BB in 35.1 innings. He'll get a new challenge at the Triple-A level to begin the 2024 campaign and could get a look with Washington at some point later in the season if he continues to excel with Rochester.

The Nationals optioned Henry to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Henry was added to the Nationals' 40-man roster this winter, but that move was made primarily to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft rather than being an acknowledgement that the 24-year-old right-hander is big-league ready. He looks like he'll at least get his first taste of the Triple-A level to begin the 2024 season, despite posting an ugly 10.31 ERA and 1.99 WHIP across 18.1 innings at Double-A Harrisburg in 2023. The Nationals are hopeful that he'll be able to resolve some of the command and control woes that plagued him at Double-A now that he's nearly 19 months removed from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in August 2022.

The Nationals optioned Adon to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.

Adon posted a 6.45 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 12 appearances (10 starts) with the Nationals a season ago, but with the Washington rotation in a better spot from a health standpoint heading into spring training than it was late in the 2023 campaign, the right-hander won't earn a spot on the Opening Day squad. He's still likely to stay stretched out on the farm as a member of Rochester's rotation and will be available to make spot starts for the big club whenever injuries test the Nationals' rotation depth.

Atlanta optioned Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Smith-Shawver finished with an 8.22 ERA over three Grapefruit League starts but also boasted an 11:2 K:BB across 7.2 innings of work. The young right-hander was always pegged for Gwinnett's rotation to open the season but could wind up making a good number of starts with the big club in 2024.

Gallo (quadricep) will start at first base and bat cleanup in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

After experiencing a sore left quad following his third appearance of the spring back on Feb. 28, Gallo was out of the lineup for about a week before returning to action Thursday and Friday. He was limited to designated hitter duties on both days, but Gallo's ability to play the field Monday suggests that the quad injury is firmly in the rear-view mirror at this stage.

Gray (hamstring) will throw a bullpen session Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gray will throw from the bump for the first time since he suffered a mild right hamstring strain a week ago. While Gray still looks like a longshot to complete his ramp-up program ahead of Opening Day, the veteran hurler is making nice progress and shouldn't miss too much time if he continues trending in the right direction.