Washington Nationals Rumors & News

Washington Post "Throughout this season, these Washington Nationals have displayed a head-scratching inability to get runners home, often having a tough enough time simply getting them on base. For at least one inning on an unusually chilly May night, they exorcised their situational hitting demons. Scuffling..." May 25

Washington Times "As Davey Johnson made himself comfortable in the dugout at AT&T Park on Wednesday morning, he looked ready for the Washington Nationals’ 10-game road trip to be over. Gray stubble covered his usually clean-shaven chin. He had spent the morning putting out a fire ignited when his closer made..." May 24

Washington Post "The Washington Nationals entered the year with the unabashed expectation of being remembered. They would like to forget the completed portion of their schedule — especially their just-finished, often-calamitous 10-game road trip — but through early underachieving they have not panicked. Their..." May 24

Washington Post "After postgame comments in which he reportedly criticized Bryce Harper’s positioning in right field, Rafael Soriano insisted he isn’t upset with Harper for a play in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 4-2 10-inning loss to the Giants. With two outs and a runner on first, Harper chased..." May 23

Washington Times "The ball flicked off Ian Desmond’s bat in one motion and started on its path toward right field. Bryce Harper broke into a sprint from second base. As Harper slid into home and Hunter Pence’s throw to the plate sailed just wide, a collective sigh of relief from the Washington Nationals seemed to..." May 23

Washington Post "The process of putting Danny Espinosa back together again continued Monday at AT&T Park. Manager Davey Johnson sat the struggling second baseman, who is 1 for his last 28 and batting .163/.191/.260 on the season, in favor of Steve Lombardozzi. In the afternoon, Espinosa went through a lengthy,..." May 22

Montreal Gazette "The City of Montreal honoured former Expos catcher Gary Carter on May 21, renaming a street in honour of the Hall of Famer who died of brain cancer in February 2012 at age 57. Faillon St. W., located near Uniprix stadium, which used to be known as Jarry Park when the Expos played there, will..." May 22

San Francisco Chronicle "Pablo Sandoval felt like hell, and not because his teammates gave him the same kidney shots he administers when one of them ends a game with a hit. Sandoval was so sick, he took intravenous fluids before Tuesday night's big matchup between Matt Cain and Stephen Strasburg. It's funny how much..." May 22

Washington Post "The disarray in the Nationals’ bullpen reached a bizarre and self-inflicted new height Monday night. After the Nationals’ 8-0 loss to the Giants, Manager Davey Johnson revealed that set-up man Ryan Mattheus had broken his right hand Sunday when he punched his locker after a dreadful performance,..." May 21

Washington Post "Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, who has already missed 16 days on the disabled list, visited a specialist in Chicago to further diagnose his strained right hamstring, Manager Davey Johnson said. The Nationals long expected Werth to return today, but after a stalled minor league rehab assignment..." May 19

Washington Post "Bryce Harper will miss tonight’s game against the Padres and possibly tomorrow with bruising and swelling in his left knee, one of several lingering effects from his violent collision with the right field wall at Dodger Stadium on Monday in Los Angeles. Harper, who missed games Tuesday and..." May 19

Washington Post "The Washington Nationals’ lineup confronted a journeyman starting pitcher Saturday evening, and it still demanded near perfection out of Jordan Zimmermann. His offense allowed him no margin for mistakes, and in a crucial moment he made a decisive error on a simple play. Zimmermann remained..." May 19

Washington Times "Two days before he would make a triumphant return from the disabled list with 5 1/3 innings of one-run baseball in a victory over the Washington Nationals, Zack Greinke stood on the field at Dodger Stadium laughing and smiling in conversation with Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner. It was..." May 18

Washington Times "Somewhere in the thoughts that streamed into Bryce Harper’s head as he lay writhing on the warning track at Dodger Stadium on Monday was the question: How bad is this? Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span was the first by Harper’s side after the 20-year-old crashed face-first into the..." May 18

Washington Post "The thing about pinch hitting is, it only takes one swing. One minute, Chad Tracy can be sitting in the Washington Nationals dugout, a bystander as victory nears. The next, he may be running to the end of the tunnel for two emergency warmup hacks. One night, he may be staying up in bed wondering..." May 18

MLB.com "Right fielder Jayson Werth was scheduled to play for Class A Potomac on Thursday, but he went to see his doctor in New York because he felt tightness in his right hamstring. However, Werth is expected to get a rehab start for Potomac on Friday and stay with the team a few more days, which means..." May 17

Washington Times "There was plenty about the Washington Nationals’ 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night that was familiar. They’ve seen the scoreboard littered in zeroes and the occasional “1” glowing back at them. They’ve dealt with the frustrations that come with leaving nine runners on base..." May 16

Washington Times "Feeling some slight tightness in his strained right hamstring, Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth traveled to New York on Thursday to visit with the team’s specialist and get the issue examined. His expected return from the disabled list on Saturday will likely be delayed a few days,..." May 16

Washington Post "Wednesday in the ninth inning, two nights after he tested the structural integrity of the right field wall at Dodger Stadium, Bryce Harper hopped out of the dugout and stood in the on-deck circle. He had not talked his way into the game; Manager Davey Johnson simply sent him up to pinch..." May 16

San Diego Union-Tribune "If you want to get to know the real Stephen Strasburg, you do not put him on a podium, conference call or radio show. You don’t write him an email or send him a text, and you certainly don’t shove a microphone in his face. No, if you want to get to know the real Stephen Strasburg, you simply..." May 16

L.A. Daily News "Zack Greinke recently sent Dodgers manager Don Mattingly a text message gauging his fitness level before taking the mound for the first time since fracturing his left clavicle last month against the Padres. The gist being, Greinke was more than ready to compete but expecting him to be in..." May 16

Los Angeles Times "Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly was talking Tuesday afternoon about the importance of Zack Greinke's return to the rotation when he hit upon an unfortunate comparison. "Getting him back," he said "kind of gives you another Kershaw." Consider that wishful thinking. Because a couple of hours..." May 15

Washington Post "Monday night seemed close to perfect for the Washington Nationals, until it veered close to catastrophe. A blistering afternoon yielded to a warm Southern California night, Jordan Zimmermann further asserted himself as one of baseball’s elite starting pitchers, Ryan Zimmerman stayed hot and first..." May 14

Washington Post "After a befuddling 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs and a series loss to a team with one of the worst records in baseball, the Nationals packed their bags in the clubhouse. The mood was generally upbeat although there was clear frustration that a win in their grasps slipped away, and in such..." May 13

Nats Insider "The critical decision in yesterday's demoralizing loss to the Cubs — Davey Johnson pinch-hitting for Gio Gonzalez in the bottom of the seventh with his team ahead 1-0 — was a produce of the manager seeking an insurance run and trying to give his bullpen some breathing room. In principle, that..." May 13

CSN Chicago "At one point, Dan Haren imagined himself wearing a Cubs uniform, pitching at Wrigley Field and spending this summer by Lake Michigan – at least until the trade deadline. Now Haren’s hoping to win a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals. Haren signed up for Twitter at the beginning..." May 12

CBSSports.com "The Nationals will be without Jayson Werth for a while, as they've placed the veteran outfielder on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. To replace Werth on the active roster, they've recalled outfielder Eury Perez. Werth hasn't played since May 2, so the move will likely..." May 11

Nats Insider "The Nationals are planning to place outfielder Jayson Werth on the 15-day disabled list following tonight's game against the Cubs with what general manager Mike Rizzo termed a "very slight strain" of his right hamstring. Werth hasn't played since May 2 in Atlanta, when he felt the hamstring..." May 10

CSN Washington "In a 162 game baseball season it’s hard to qualify an early May series as a test, no matter the circumstances and no matter the teams involved. But for a team with World Series aspirations, sweeping the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers in a two-game series felt about as good as it..." May 10

Washington Post "After overwhelming reaction on social media and their box office phones, the Nationals reversed the unpopular ticket policy they announced after Tuesday night’s rainout and now will allow fans to exchange unused tickets from Tuesday for any future ticket of equal or lesser value, subject to..." May 09

CSN Washington "From his position at first base, Adam LaRoche often gets an unfiltered reaction from opposing hitters to the man they're facing on any particular night. What LaRoche was hearing from the handful of Detroit Tigers who reached base Wednesday night against Jordan Zimmermann was enough to convince him..." May 09

Washington Post "Jayson Werth is scheduled to have an MRI on his balky right hamstring on Thursday, Nationals Manager Davey Johnson said following Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Werth, who hasn’t played in six days because of the hamstring tightness and a sore left ankle, will also be examined by an..." May 09

CSN Washington "Bryce Harper won't face any additional punishment for his actions Sunday that resulted in his ejection from the Nationals' series finale in Pittsburgh. Major League Baseball informed Harper he won't be fined or suspended after a review of the incident, a relief to the 20-year-old..." May 08