Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (quadriceps) was pulled from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game early against the Houston Astros after both of his quadriceps muscles tightened up on him during his first-inning triple. "He should be OK," manager Dave Martinez said. The 24-year-old is scheduled to be on the trip to Port Charlotte for Thursday's spring game against the Tampa Bay Rays, so it's obviously not a big concern. After tripling in the first inning, Abrams has now gone 9-for-30 in Grapefruit League play with a home run in 10 contests. He was a first-time All-Star in his second full season in D.C. in 2024 but had a lapse in judgment late in the year when he stayed out past curfew, which resulted in a trip back to the minors as punishment. Abrams was unable to sustain a solid first half and also continued to chase too many pitches, but there's no denying his power/speed upside as a top-10 fantasy SS.

In 2025, Washington Nationals relief pitcher Derek Law has his sights set on breaking the team's innings pitched record for a reliever. As such, the 34-year-old is just starting to ramp up, throwing to live batters for the first time this spring despite being fully healthy. The intent is to not put any unnecessary stress on his arm before the season begins, especially after throwing 90 innings in 2024, the second-most for a relief pitcher in all of baseball last season. To beat the record, the righty will have to surpass 93 innings pitched to pass the current record-holder, Saul Rivera. The veteran posted a good 2.60 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP on the way to setting a career high in holds with 17, but isn't known for having strikeout stuff like many relievers of today, logging a 7.6 K/9 and a 14.2 percent K-BB%. With that being the case, Law is really only worthy of a roster spot in leagues that reward holds or NL-only formats.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the division-rival Miami Marlins, doing the catching and batting eighth. Adams was hit by a pitch recently in spring training, which resulted in a sore wrist and caused him to sit out for a few days, but he's back in there now and is ready to go. The 28-year-old will continue to compete in camp with Drew Millas to be the backup to Keibert Ruiz to open the 2025 regular season. After an encouraging 2023 campaign in which he had an .807 OPS in 158 plate appearances as a backup catcher, Adams had a .629 OPS with two home runs and eight RBI in only 41 games for the Nats last year while also spending more time in the minor leagues. Adams probably has the edge over Millas because he doesn't have minor-league options remaining, but he doesn't have much upside as a backup in D.C. because of the fact that he doesn't bring much to the table with his glove.

Washington right-handed pitching prospect Zach Brzykcy (leg) is dealing with a left leg injury that affects him when he lands. Brzykcy has begun throwing bullpens and is viewed as day-to-day. Brzykcy has not appeared in a spring training contest since February 25. Fantasy managers should expect Brzykcy to continue to increase his workload. Seeing him throw bullpens is a positive sign and suggests he could be turning the corner in his recovery. Last season, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut and allowed nine earned runs across five 2/3 innings of work. He tallied four punchouts and served up three free passes. Across 35 1/3 innings in the minor leagues last season, Brzykcy held a strong 2.04 ERA with a stellar 0.82 WHIP. When healthy, he will continue to compete for a role in the Washington bullpen.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist) has been scratched ahead of Saturday's spring training contest. Adams was hit on the wrist by a pitch during Friday's game. He underwent X-rays were revealed a wrist contusion. That being said, Adams might need a few days of rest, but should be fine for the beginning of the season. He has slashed .224/.290/.377 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI across 133 combined games over the last three seasons with the Nationals. It's unlikely that Adams is going to be a reliable fantasy contributor.