Matt Adams among Nationals’ latest roster cuts as Opening Day nears
The Nationals moved Colomé, Machado and Peralta to the minor league camp on Saturday; Espino, already on the 40-man list, was selected to the AAA Rochester class. Infielder Jeter Downs was also selected for Rochester, and manager Dave Martinez informed Adams, a 34-year, 10-season veteran, that he would not make the team.
“Today is a tough day for me and for the players because you build relationships with these guys,” Martinez said. “But like I always tell them, it’s never the end. As we know, there are still many moves to go before this is all over, so just keep going down and play hard.”
The Nationals are having to trim their roster as they prepare to leave Florida after their Grapefruit League Finals on Sunday. And while the roster is still taking shape – it only needs to be 26 players by opening day – Martinez acknowledged there could be more reallocations in the coming days as players become available following roster cuts at the Majors.
Saturday’s moves leave utility player Michael Chavis as the only healthy player in camp who could fill the team’s fourth bench seat. Catcher Israel Pineda is still in the major league camp but is struggling with a finger injury that has prevented him from swinging a racquet.
Adams hit 20 homers in 310 at-bats as part of the 2019 Nationals championship team and was most familiar with the organization. But he has only played 38 major league games since 2019. Last year he played with the Kansas City Monarchs, an independent league team. Adams was 13-39 in spring practice, but Martinez said he lacked the versatility he was looking for in a bench player.
Adams and Chavis, 27, primarily play first base, but Chavis — a first-round pick for the Boston Red Sox in 2014 — has also finished second (96 games), third (18) and outfield (13) throughout his career.
“I’ve been talking about this 26th man who can do a lot of different things — he’s just the ticket,” Martinez said of Chavis on Friday. “I like how he plays in all positions. . . . He doesn’t care what we asked him to do; He is willing to do anything we ask of him.”
Chavis, on the third team of his career, hit 14 home runs and hit 49 runs with Pittsburgh last season before opting for a free hand after the season. For his career, he has hit .237 with 40 homers and 137 RBI. Chavis is known for being aggressive early in counts; A year ago, he was swinging at 46.8 percent of the first spots, compared to the league average of 29.5. At this camp, he said, he focuses on making better swing decisions.
“I analyzed my game last year and I thought it was an important spot for me to make some progress on,” Chavis said.
If he does finish fourth, he would join a bench that includes backup catcher Riley Adams, infielder Ildemaro Vargas and outfielder Alex Call, who beat Stone Garrett and Derek Hill for fourth outfielder spot after a strong camp.
The Nationals’ starting rotation appeared to be going into camp; Cade Cavalli’s Tommy John surgery complicated the equation, but Chad Kuhl appears to have the inner spur to be the fifth starter, joining Patrick Corbin, Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams.
The remaining roster decisions are made by the bullpen. With Sean Doolittle and Victor Arano likely to start the season on the injured list, the team has seven healthy righties left: Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Carl Edwards Jr., Erasmo Ramirez and Mason Thompson from last year’s Bullpen staff along with Hobie Harris, who signed a minor league deal this offseason, and Thad Ward. Ward, a Rule 5 draft pick, must remain on the roster for the entire season or be offered back to the team from which he was selected (the Red Sox). That makes Ward and Harris, who had a strong camp, the likeliest candidates to stay.
This leaves Anthony Banda the only left-hander in the camp alongside Doolittle. Martinez said earlier this spring that he was hoping to have two lefties in his bullpen but had limited options as Banda, Jose Ferrer and Matt Cronin fought for that spot late in camp. But Banda, 29, has a lot more experience than either Cronin or Ferrer, having played with four teams in the last two seasons.
Banda struggled early in camp but has not allowed a run in five of his last six games. He struggled with repeating his mechanics and falling behind when counting. Banda said he had trouble not putting his foot down before the throw, causing his pitches to be far off the plate. But he feels he did a better job in camp, improving his stance so he can be consistent with the record. With less than a week to go before Opening Day, he could face the Atlanta Braves at the bullpen at Nationals Park on Thursday.
“It’s a good feeling, but there’s always a chance it could go one way or the other,” Banda said. “I’m trying not to really pay too much attention to it, although it’s really hard not to. …Trying to put together a really good ending to camp, and what happens after that happens.”