Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals pitching prospect Cade Cavalli picked up the win on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk in five innings against Triple-A Syracuse. He struck out five. The lone blemish for the right-hander was a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. The 26-year-old built up to 71 pitches in this outing. Cavalli has struggled overall in May, with a 5.40 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. Cavalli's command remains in question because while his stuff is electric, he has posted consistently high walk rates in the minors. If he can continue to stack performances like this, he'd become a solid add if he were called up to start in the Nationals' rotation.

The Washington Nationals placed outfielder Dylan Crews (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a left-oblique strain and recalled outfield prospect Robert Hassell III from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. The Nationals were initially calling Crews' injury a back ailment when he was removed from Tuesday's game early against the Atlanta Braves. In addition to the injury, the 23-year-old former second overall pick in 2023 out of LSU has been a massive disappointment early in 2025 after being a popular preseason National League Rookie of the Year pick. Through 45 games this year, he's hit just .196 (31-for-158) with seven home runs, two doubles, a triple, 15 RBI, 11 steals and 24 runs scored. Crews should return to a regular role when he's healthy, but that might not be for around a month.

Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan picked up his 15th save of the season in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Braves, tying him for the MLB lead. The 33-year-old worked a perfect inning, retiring Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and Ozzie Albies in order. He now holds a 2.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander is 15-for-17 in save opportunities with one loss on the year. Finnegan is putting together the best season of his career and remains a steady late-inning presence for the Nationals.

Washington Nationals outfieldprospect Robert Hassell III is being recalled fromTriple-A Rochester for what will be his MLB debut. Unfortunately, this move is a result of Dylan Crews' back/side injury he suffered on Tuesday night and because JacobYoung is dealing with a shoulder injury that's kept him out of the lineup the past couple days, but Hassell III now gets a shot to make good on being a first-round selection (eighth overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft. The left-handed slugger was performing decently at Triple-A, slashing .277/.327/.384 with four home runs, nine stolen bases, and registering a 19.9 percent K% through 42 games. The stolen bases and first-round pedigree are intriguing, but without a ton of power and not likely to hit for a high average in his first taste of the majors, the 23-year-old is probably only worth a look for fantasy in very deep and NL-only leagues.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews was pulled from Tuesday's game after seemingly aggravating his back on a swing in the bottom of the fifth inning. His back has apparently been an ongoing issue since last week, and he's scheduled to undergo an MRI tomorrow, according to manager Davey Martinez. This isn't good news for the youngster, who has struggled in 2025 to the tune of a .196 batting average. He did homer earlier in the game before re-aggravating his back, and expect an update on the severity of the injury tomorrow.