Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder/designated hitter Joey Gallo are both out of the lineup on Wednesday at Nationals Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves and left-hander Max Fried. Ildemaro Vargas is starting at second base and batting eighth, while Andres Chaparro serves as the DH and bats out of the three-hole against Fried. Garcia is in the midst of the best season of his career by far, as he came into Wednesday slashing .284/.322/.443 with career-highs in OPS (.766), home runs (15), RBI (63) and stolen bases (21) in a career-high 126 games played as Washington's starting second baseman. None of his 15 long balls on the year have come against southpaws, though, and he's also hitting just .167 (5-for-30) with eight strikeouts in 10 games over the last 14 days. It's a good day to get Garcia off his feet against a tough lefty.

Washington National rookie third baseman Jose Tena is batting fifth in Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Tena is hitting .293/.330/.380 with two homers, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored in 97 plate appearances since his Nationals debut on June 28. Although overshadowed by the likes of Dylan Crews and James Wood, Tena is one of the young bats the Nationals are counting on to help them return to playoff contention in 2025. Tena continues to fly under the radar in dynasty leagues, but if he is available, find the roster space to stash him away.

Washington Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams (elbow) has faced live hitters twice in the last week-plus and is now scheduled to throw four innings or build up to 65 to 70 pitches in a minor-league rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday in what will be his first competitive game since May 30. Williams has been out since late May with a flexor strain in his elbow. Barring a setback during what is expected to be a brief rehab assignment, Williams could rejoin the big-league rotation to make perhaps a couple of starts at the end of September. Manager Dave Martinez has said Williams probably needs to get up to 80 pitches before he comes off the 60-day injured list, so he'll need more than one rehab start. The 32-year-old veteran had bounced back from a rough 2023 to go 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 47 K's in 56 2/3 frames over 11 starts earlier this year before getting hurt.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews went 2-for-3 including a home run and a double, along with a walk, two RBI, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Pirates in Game 1 of their doubleheader. The 22-year-old has held his own since being called up, with six of his 10 hits going for extra bases and he's stolen five bases in just 11 games. Perhaps even more impressive is that he's struck out just once over the last six games (28 plate appearances). Hopefully he can stay productive throughout the fantasy playoffs as well and he's surely going to be a multi-category producer in 2025.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher DJ Herz threw five hitless innings on Saturday and picked up the win in the first game of the Nationals-Pirates doubleheader as Washington won 5-3. Herz struck out five and walked three in the process, unable to go deeper in the game after throwing 87 pitches in five innings. The lefty has provided solid value for the Nationals in his rookie season, posting a 3.82 ERA in just over 75 innings pitched. With an xERA of 3.37 it'd appear that positive regression is likely for the lefty in his remaining starts this season. Fantasy managers looking for a late season find may want to consider adding Herz to their roster. The 23-year-old will look to continue improving in his next scheduled start on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Herz previously faced the Marlins in June and struck out 13 in six innings. Fantasy managers and DFS managers should both target Herz for his start against Miami.