Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams (forearm) threw a bullpen session of 20 fastballs on Wednesday. Williams was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 4 due to a right flexor muscle strain, and he's been working his way back ever since. Manager Dave Martinez is hopeful he can return to pitch for the Nationals in the final month of the season in September. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander was pushing for his first career All-Star nod before going down, posting a 2.22 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 47 strikeouts and 16 walks across 56 2/3 innings from Washington's rotation this year. Even so, Williams is hard to stash in fantasy leagues without a significant amount of time left in the year to be a factor.

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood continued his solid rookie season in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Orioles. Wood went 4-for-5 with three singles, a double, and an RBI. He was also picked off of first base and was caught trying to steal second. The 21-year-old has looked like one of baseball's top prospects in his time in the big leagues, slashing .283/.369/.449 with four home runs, 23 runs scored, 26 RBI, and six stolen bases in 157 plate appearances. He is still adjusting, as he has been caught stealing five times and owns a 30.6% strikeout rate, but fantasy managers have to like what he's done overall.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (back) is starting at shortstop and is batting in the two-hole on Tuesday against the hosting Baltimore Orioles and left-hander Trevor Rogers at Camden Yards. Abrams will return to action on Tuesday after missing the three previous games due to back spasms. He'll be hoping to get things turned around in August, as he's gone just 5-for-31 (.161) so far this month with two homers and seven RBI in eight games. Only three of Abrams' 17 home runs on the year have come against left-handed pitchers, but he is batting .284 (38-for-134) against southpaws in 2024. In most fantasy leagues, managers will want to get Abrams back into their lineups. He's hitting just .200 in five career at-bats against Rogers, but he also has a homer and two RBI against him.

The Washington Nationals designated outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez and pitcher Jordan Weems for assignment on Tuesday and selected the contracts of infielder Andres Chaparro and right-hander Orlando Ribalta from the minors in corresponding moves. Ramirez will now be looking for his third team of the 2024 season after starting the year with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 29-year-old Columbian outfielder hit .243/.273/.365 with a weak .638 OPS, a home run, four doubles, one triple, 16 RBI and seven runs scored in only 25 games after the Nationals picked him up. Ramirez's best season came last year in Tampa, when he slashed .313/.353/.460 with an .813 OPS, 12 homers, 68 RBI and five steals in 122 games played.

Washington Nationals infielder Jose Tena (thumb) was forced to exit early during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Tena suffered a right thumb injury while attempting to field a grounder in the third inning. The expectation is that Tena will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Ildemaro Vargas replaced him at third base and could see increased playing time if Tena is forced to miss time.