Washington Nationals

Miles Mikolas

SP

The suspension stemmed from his actions during a bench-clearing brawl with the Red Sox on July 2 that also involved Cade Cavalli (suspension) and Willson Contreras (suspension). Mikolas appealed the five-game ban, but MLB ruled that the right-hander must begin his five-game suspension Sunday, which means he'll be available to return July 21 against the Rockies. Mikolas enters the All-Star break with a 5.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB across 90.1 innings.

Brad Lord

RP

Lord last pitched Sunday, when he was rocked for five runs over 1.1 innings. He could return when his 15 days are up or close to it if he is indeed merely dealing with tightness, but the Nationals could still need to send Lord for imaging to see if he has a strain.

Cade Cavalli

SP

During his start last Tuesday against the Red Sox, Cavalli made a remark to Boston's Willson Contreras after striking him out, which instigated a benches-clearing brawl between the two clubs. As a result of getting his suspension reduced to five games, Cavalli will lose out on some salary but isn't expected to miss out on any starts. He's now lined up to take the ball Sunday against the Yankees in his final start of the first half.

Trevor Williams

SP

After recording just two outs and yielding four runs (two earned) in his first rehab appearance June 28 with Single-A Fredericksburg, Williams bounced back nicely in his second minor-league outing Friday with Double-A Harrisburg. In that start, Williams struck out two batters and allowed just one hit and no walks over 2.1 scoreless innings. He'll look to get further stretched out Wednesday and is likely to need at least one more start in the minors following the All-Star break before the Nationals consider bringing him back from the 60-day injured list. The Nationals have gotten respectable results lately from Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas and Andrew Alvarez at the back end of the rotation, so it's unclear if the team will be willing to open up a starting role for Williams once he's ready for activation.

Jake Irvin

SP

If all goes well during Irvin's upcoming throwing session, he could be cleared to head out on a rehab assignment coming out of the All-Star break. Irvin has been shelved since May 24 due to a right shoulder strain and will likely require multiple starts in the minors to build up his pitch count before re-entering the Washington rotation.

Mitchell Parker

RP

Parker is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a Grade 3 UCL sprain in his left elbow, so the Nationals will stash him away on the 60-day IL for the rest of the season. The move creates space on the 40-man roster for Kyle Nicolas, who was acquired from Baltimore on Wednesday.

Richard Lovelady

RP

Lovelady retired the only batter he faced during an appearance Sunday versus the Orioles, but he apparently came out of the outing with an injury. The lefty reliever has filled a variety of roles for the Nationals this season from opener to occasional closer, but he'll now been shelved at least through the All-Star break.

DJ Herz

SP

It's a significant setback for Herz, who has been working his way back from April 2025 Tommy John surgery. The left-hander posted a 1.17 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB in 7.2 innings covering his first three rehab starts, potentially setting him up for activation around the All-Star break. After suffering the flexor strain, however, Herz will be out indefinitely.

Max Kranick

RP

It was the first game appearance in more than a year for Kranick, who was signed by the Nationals in May as he continued his rehab from flexor tendon surgery. The right-hander will need several more rehab outings before Washington considers adding him to its bullpen.

Ken Waldichuk

RP

Waldichuk posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 9.1 innings over his five relief appearances with Washington before landing on the injured list April 13 after suffering a left forearm injury. The southpaw received a couple of medical opinions in the week following the injury and ultimately decided to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in just under two years, after he previously had the procedure in May 2024. Waldichuk also underwent a flexor tendon repair as part of the operation.

Josiah Gray

SP

It's the first bit of throwing the right-hander has done since he was diagnosed with a right flexor strain in late March. He will be brought along slowly in his rehab before being evaluated for a potential return to the Nationals' rotation.