MLB Player News

Schultz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Schultz threw three innings and 48 pitches Friday, a long enough outing that he will likely be unavailable for a few days. The Nationals' bullpen was taxed heavily again Saturday, likely creating a need for fresh arms Sunday. Schultz has been fairly effective across eight innings this season, and he'll almost certainly be back in the majors at some point later on.

Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Giants, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts across four innings.

The Nationals' Opening Day starter, Cavalli has managed to go five innings in just one of his five starts to this point. Saturday marked his first outing without walking a batter, but the Giants made Cavalli work deep into at-bats and still got his pitch count up to 92. The right-hander's five strikeouts matched his season high, but he's not going deep enough to put himself in the mix for wins. Cavalli owns a 4.12 ERA and 18:12 K:BB across 19.2 innings and is slated to face Atlanta in his next start.

Schmitt went 2-for-6 with an RBI double in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Nationals.

Schmitt is 4-for-11 with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs scored in the first two games of the series versus Washington. After batting .158 through April 1, Schmitt has gone on a tear at the plate over his last 10 games. He's 16-for-41 (.390) in that span, including five multi-hit performances. On the season, Schmitt is slashing .317/.369/.517 with six doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, seven runs scored, one stolen base and a 2:16 BB:K across 65 trips to the plate.

Ramos went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, double, walk and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Nationals.

After going homerless over the first 19 games of the season, Ramos has gone deep in back-to-back contests and boosted his RBI total to 13 in the process. The 26-year-old had a .185 average as of April 3 but has gone 14-for-47 (.298) at the plate over his last 13 games to raise his slash line to .257/.304/.378 with the two homers, 13 RBI, eight runs scored and 5:25 BB:K across 79 trips to the plate. Ramos is striking out in 31.6 percent of his plate appearances after doing so at just a 22.7 percent clip during the 2025 campaign.

Walker suffered a blown save Saturday against the Nationals, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts across two innings.

With the Giants leading 6-5 headed into the bottom of the ninth, Walker was called on to protect the one-run lead. He gave up a leadoff double to Jorbit Vivas and later the game-tying single to Brady House. Walker allowed two more baserunners in a scoreless 10th inning. Prior to Saturday, Walker hadn't entered in a save situation since March 30. Three different Giants are tied for the team lead with one save apiece, so Walker's position in the closer committee is tenuous, at best. The right-hander has a 4.00 ERA and 10:5 K:BB across nine innings this season.

Diaz is expected to have his contract selected by the Royals on Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Diaz signed with Kansas City in late February and has spent the start of the regular season with Triple-A Omaha. He is hitting only .226 with one double across 34 plate appearances, but he'll still make his way back to the majors. Diaz's immediate role is unclear, and his promotion is not yet official.

Houser didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Nationals, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout across 5.2 innings.

Houser surrendered a leadoff homer to James Wood and was hammered for five runs before recording five outs. Houser has now surrendered exactly four earned runs in each of his past three outings. The 33-year-old owns a 5.40 ERA and uninspiring 11:7 K:BB across 21.2 innings through four starts in 2026. Houser is in line to make his next start at home against the Marlins.

Yates (knee) still needs to gain weight and add velocity before being activated from the injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Yates made his first rehab appearance Friday night and said the outing went as planned despite allowing one earned run on a hit and a walk. He also noted he'll need a few more rehab appearances before returning. Yates projects to work in a high-leverage role once fully healthy and could threaten closer Jordan Romano for saves.

Alcantara (2-2) took the loss against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and six walks while striking out one batter across five innings.

Alcantara struggled with his command during Saturday's outing, resulting in multiple batters reaching base safely in four of five innings. He escaped a bases-loaded situation unscathed in the third but gave up his first run in the fourth before yielding a three-run homer to Brice Turang in the fifth frame. Alcantara had as many walks against Milwaukee as he did across his first four starts of the regular season. It was also the first time he did not complete the sixth inning this year, and he now sits with a 3.06 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB across 35.1 innings. Alcantara will look to snap out of his two-game losing streak in his next start, which is slated for next weekend on the road against the Giants.

De Los Santos will be optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

De Los Santos was recalled April 10 and has started just two games since his promotion. He has one hit across five at-bats in that span, though he'll return to Jacksonville in a corresponding move for the return of Kyle Stowers (oblique) from the injured list.