The Nationals have made some big roster decisions, including an answer on the battle for the final rotation spot
The Washington Nationals made their first truly difficult roster decisions of the Spring. They optioned four notable players in Shinnosuke Ogasawara, DJ Herz, Nasim Nunez, and Drew Millas.
The demotion of the two pitchers is particularly notable because it seals Mitchell Parker’s status as the fifth starter. Coming into camp, Parker was seen as the least sexy option with Herz being a popular breakout pick and Ogasawara being the Nats first Japanese import.
However, Parker out pitched both this spring. While Ogasawara wasn’t fooling anyone and Herz couldn’t throw strikes, Parker just did his thing. In 12.1 innings, he put up a 3.65 ERA. His reliability made him the easy choice for the rotation.
I love DJ Herz’s upside, and I still do after this spring, but he simply didn’t pitch well enough. My position is that I would give Herz the job unless he gave the team a reason not to. Herz’s rough spring gave the team a reason to not give him the job.
On the offensive side, the demotion of Nasim Nunez was a slight surprise. He has hit very well this spring and has always been a slick defender at shortstop. However, the Nats must want to give him every day at bats.
Notably, Andrew Knizner remains with the big club, meaning he is in the mix with Riley Adams for the backup catcher job. The battle for the final bench spot will come down to Jose Tena and Juan Yepez. Mike Rizzo made a lot of big decisions today, but there are still roster spots up for grabs.