Nationals Option Mitchell Parker
The Nationals announced Friday they’ve optioned left-handers Mitchell Parker, Andrew Alvarez and Jake Eder. That takes three pitchers, one of whom has been on the MLB roster for the last two years, out of the mix for the Opening Day rotation.
Parker’s demotion is the most notable. He had been in the big leagues since his first callup in April 2024. Parker had a solid rookie year, turning in a 4.29 ERA across 29 starts. His sophomore season was a lot less encouraging. Parker was tagged for 5.68 earned runs per nine over 164 2/3 innings. He had the ninth-highest ERA and sixth-lowest strikeout rate (14.2%) among pitchers who reached 100 innings.
The 26-year-old Parker took the ball twice this spring. His command was erratic, as he walked five batters over 3 2/3 innings. He’ll begin the season at Triple-A Rochester as he tries to get on track.
Alvarez and Eder were also competing for rotation spots. The former is a 26-year-old rookie who turned in a 2.31 ERA over five major league starts last season. Alvarez doesn’t throw especially hard and had middling strikeout and walk numbers in his MLB look. He’ll head back to Triple-A, where he made 25 starts and posted a 4.10 ERA with a league average 21.5% strikeout rate last season.
The Nats acquired Eder from the Angels as part of last summer’s Andrew Chafin deadline deal. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A and quickly landed on the injured list. The 6’4″ southpaw was once a notable prospect but has struggled to find the strike zone consistently. He walked six batters across 6 2/3 frames this spring.
First-year skipper Blake Butera has already tabbed righty Cade Cavalli as the Opening Day starter. The Nats added Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas and Foster Griffin on one-year free agent deals. Littell’s signing was just finalized this week, but he was able to throw 39 pitches over three innings in his Spring Training debut this afternoon. He’ll probably have time to build up for Opening Day.
Josiah Gray, Brad Lord, and Jake Irvin are in the mix for the fifth starter spot. Gray is coming back from internal brace surgery that cost him the entire 2025 season. He has struck out five over 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in camp.
Lord pitched to a 4.34 ERA across 130 2/3 innings last year in a swing role. He has allowed four runs (three earned) with four strikeouts over 7 1/3 frames. Irvin led the Nats with 180 innings a year ago but was tagged for a 5.70 ERA and led the majors in earned runs and homers allowed. He has had an excellent start to the spring, though, firing 8 1/3 frames of two-run ball while punching out 10.
Nationals To Promote Andrew Alvarez For MLB Debut
The Nationals are promoting left-hander Andrew Alvarez to the majors for his MLB debut tomorrow, interim manager Miguel Cairo told reporters (including MASN’s Mark Zuckerman) this afternoon. Alvarez is not yet on the 40-man roster and will need to have his contract selected before his scheduled start against the Marlins tomorrow. Alvarez’s promotion was first reported by TheNatsReport last night.
Alvarez, 26, was a 12th-round pick by the Nationals back in 2021. He’s been climbing the minor league ladder in the years since then and first reached the Triple-A level partway through the 2024 season. He made 16 starts at the level in the second half last year, but struggled a bit with a 4.58 ERA in 78 2/3 innings of work. He struck out just 17.7% of his opponents against a 9.6% walk rate, but in his second season at Triple-A this year his numbers have improved. In 25 starts at the level this year, Alvarez has pitched to a 4.10 ERA in 123 innings. His walk rate has mostly held steady at 9.8%, but his strikeout rate has jumped up to a much more respectable 21.5%.
Even with this year’s improvements, Alvarez is not looked at as much more than a back-of-the-rotation starter at the big league level. Alvarez is not ranked in the organization’s top 30 prospects by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, further emphasizing his somewhat limited upside. That shouldn’t be taken to mean he can’t be a useful piece at the big league level, however. He’s generated a solid 50.9% ground ball rate at Triple-A this year, and if he can continue to keep the ball on the ground without much regression in his K-BB% ratio, it’s easy to imagine him being a valuable up-and-down swing man or perhaps a number five starter for the Nationals going forward.
Looking ahead to 2026, the Nationals have a number of interesting arms capable of starting. MacKenzie Gore figures to lead the club’s staff next season, and Brad Lord is having an exciting rookie season that should earn him a rotation spot next year. Mitchell Parker and Jake Irvin pitched well last year but have looked more like back-of-the-rotation arms this year, while Josiah Gray and DJ Herz could also impact the rotation next year depending on how they look after returning from Tommy John surgery. Cade Cavalli could also impact the club given his former top prospect status, though his five starts in the majors this year haven’t exactly impressed.
With so many young pitchers jockeying for position in the club’s rotation mix headed into next year, Alvarez could have a real opportunity down the stretch this season to put himself into that conversation headed into Spring Training 2026 if he manages to impress throughout this September call-up. His first test will come tomorrow against a young Marlins club that has impressed this year, though injuries to players like Griffin Conine and Kyle Stowers have taken some of the teeth out of the club’s lineup.