Baker received an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
The Nationals designated Baker for assignment Wednesday to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, and after clearing waivers, the 26-year-old will remain in the organization. He hasn't appeared in a big-league game in 2025, and is slashing .260/.348/.325 with 26 stolen bases in 361 plate appearances this season with Rochester.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Won't return this weekend
Rotowire
Ruiz (concussion) will remain on his rehab assignment through the weekend, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reported Friday.
Ruiz is working his way back from a concussion he sustained in early July and is nearing reinstatement from the IL. The catcher is slated to catch seven innings Friday, DH on Saturday and then catch a full nine innings Sunday. Given his progression, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ruiz back with the Nationals early next week.
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Nationals' Jarlin Susana: Diagnosed with lat strain
Rotowire
Susana has been diagnosed with a right lat strain, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Susana had to be removed from his last start at Double-A Harrisburg with the injury. He will meet with the Nationals' medical staff soon to discuss his options, but the injury will likely prevent Susana from pitching again this season. The 21-year-old has collected a 3.51 ERA and 95:34 K:BB over 56.1 innings covering 14 starts between High-A Wilmington and Harrisburg in 2025. Susana previously missed time this season due to a sprained elbow.
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Nationals' Josiah Gray: To begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Gray (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Wilmington on Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Gray is slated to throw two innings or 35 pitches during Sunday's outing, his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in July of 2024. Considering the lengthy layoff, Gray will require several rehab starts before being cleared to come off the injured list. Still, the 27-year-old has a chance to pitch for the Nationals before the 2025 season ends.
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Out of Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Crews is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.
It's a routine day off for Crews, who is hitting only .210/.310/.306 with no home runs in 19 contests since returning from a long stint on the injured list. Daylen Lile will patrol right field and bat cleanup for the Nationals.
Garcia went 1-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Marlins.
The 25-year-old swiped multiple bags in the same game for the first time since May 1, giving him 13 steals on the season in 18 attempts. Garcia hasn't been able to repeat his 2024 numbers, but he's reached double-digit home runs and stolen bases for the second straight year. Over his last 11 contests, he's batting .286 (10-for-35) with two doubles, two homers, three steals, five runs and six RBI.
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Nationals' Brady House: Strong showing against Miami
Rotowire
House went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Marlins.
The rookie third baseman took Eury Perez deep in the fourth inning, giving House three homers in 56 games with the Nationals to go along with five steals. He's begun to string together a few more hits of late, batting .294 (10-for-34) over his last 10 games, but House's 0:14 BB:K during that stretch indicates he's still working to adjust to big-league pitching.
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Nationals' Nasim Nunez: Pops first two career homers
Rotowire
Nunez went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Marlins.
Getting the start at shortstop and batting ninth in his first action with the Nationals since June 8, Nunez connected on his first two career homers in his 75th big-league game, launching a solo shot off Eury Perez in the second inning and a two-run blast against Luarbert Arias in the eighth. Nunez isn't known for his power -- he has only nine career homers in the minors -- but if he gets semi-regular playing time in September, he could make an impact on the basepaths. Between Triple-A and the majors this season, the 25-year-old infielder has gone 44-for-51 on stolen base attempts over 86 games.
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Nationals' Mitchell Parker: Can't compete five frames Wednesday
Rotowire
Parker came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Marlins, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.
A fifth-inning error by Luis Garcia helped soften the blow to Parker's ERA, but the southpaw had trouble putting batters away and wasn't able to qualify for the win after running his pitch count up to 91 (66 strikes). He hasn't picked up a victory since July 26, going 0-5 over his last seven starts with a 9.28 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB in 32 innings. Parker will try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in a rematch with Miami.
The Nationals designated Baker for assignment Wednesday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Sauryn Lao, who was claimed off waivers from the Mariners. Baker got a cup of coffee in the big leagues in 2024 but has spent all of 2025 at Triple-A Rochester, slashing .260/.348/.325 with one home run and 26 steals. The 26-year-old stands a good chance of clearing waivers and remaining in the Nationals organization.
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Nationals' Sauryn Lao: Claimed by Nationals
Rotowire
The Nationals claimed Lao off waivers from the Mariners on Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.
Lao has been knocked around during his brief time in the majors, but he's collected a 3.13 ERA and 73:19 K:BB over 69 innings this season at Triple-A Tacoma. He'll report to Rochester for now but could get a look with the major-league club before the end of the season.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Adams is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
Adams will get a break in Wednesday's matinee after starting at catcher in Tuesday night's 5-2 win. Newcomer Jorge Alfaro will step in behind the dish and bat sixth as the Nationals go for the sweep.
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Nationals' Jacob Young: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Young (back) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Marlins.
Young was pulled from Tuesday's game due to back spasms. It's possible he wouldn't have started Wednesday even if he was totally healthy, but with an off day looming Thursday, Young will get some extra rest before trying to return to action this weekend. Robert Hassell is covering center field and batting seventh.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Rare day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Abrams is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Marlins.
Abrams will get a rare day off while he's in the midst of a 1-for-13 skid at the palte over his last four starts. Nasim Nunez will fill in at shortstop, and outfielder Daylen Lile has been elevated to the No. 2 spot in the lineup as the Nationals try to complete the sweep.
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Nationals' Jose Ferrer: Locks down sixth save
Rotowire
Ferrer earned another save in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Marlins, tossing a perfect frame while striking out one.
Ferrer closed the door on the Marlins for a second straight day and now has converted a save in five of his last seven appearances. He's slid into the closer role admirably since the departure of Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline, tossing 13.1 scoreless frames since Aug. 3 while posting a 12:1 K:BB.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Bounces back with win
Rotowire
Cavalli (2-1) earned the win Tuesday over the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six in five innings.
Cavalli had a strong bounce-back outing after getting pummeled for eight runs (seven earned) by the Yankees in his previous start. He tossed three scoreless frames before the Marlins pushed a pair of runs across in the fourth and he was eventually pulled after tossing 75 pitches through five. Cavalli's fastball topped out at 99 mph and he tied his season high in strikeouts despite the quick hook. Cavalli is over 100 innings pitched for the season between the majors and minors, so it wouldn't be surprising to see some restrictions as the season winds down. He's currently lined up to face Miami again on the road next week.
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Nationals' James Wood: Homers in Tuesday's win
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's win over the Marlins.
Wood provided a clutch home run in the fourth to push the Nationals ahead 5-2, which would remain the score the rest of the way. He's now posted five multi-hit efforts across his last 11 games, but Tuesday's homer was just his third since July 10. Wood also owns a 40.1 percent strikeout rate since coming back from the All-Star break, as his strikeout issues remain a glaring issue, especially with his power numbers taking a decline from earlier in the season.
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