Lovelady notched a save Sunday against the Brewers, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one. Lovelady was brought in for matchup-related reasons Sunday in his first save opportunity of the year. The southpaw faced a pair of left-handed hitters in Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell, retiring Mitchell before striking out Brandon Lockridge for the final out. Since coming over from the Mets via trade, Lovelady has a 1.29 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 7:5 K:BB over seven innings for Washington.
Heavy on Nationals
Washington Nationals news & information.
Unlock the latest Washington Nationals news — direct to your inbox.
Washington Nationals
NL East
(16-19, 11th place)
Latest Nationals News Alerts
More from Heavy on Nationals
More from Heavy on Nationals
Nationals schedule 2026
Nationals 40-Man Roster
Updated 20 hours ago
| PITCHERS | B/T | HT | WT | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L/L | 6'3" | 215 | 26 | |
| R/R | 6'1" | 200 | 25 | |
| R/R | 6'2" | 231 | 36 | |
|
R/R | 6'2" | 220 | 27 |
| R/R | 6'1" | 210 | 22 | |
| R/R | 6'5" | 235 | 24 | |
|
Cade Cavalli
24
|
R/R | 6'4" | 223 | 27 |
| R/R | 6'3" | 195 | 25 | |
| L/R | 6'6" | 200 | 34 | |
| R/R | 6'6" | 230 | 30 | |
| R/R | 5'11" | 185 | 33 | |
| R/R | 6'4" | 250 | 25 | |
|
R/R | 6'1" | 209 | 28 |
| R/L | 6'3" | 225 | 30 | |
|
R/R | 6'4" | 200 | 26 |
|
|
R/L | 6'2" | 197 | 25 |
|
Jake Irvin
27
|
R/R | 6'6" | 234 | 29 |
|
Zak Kent
0
|
R/R | 6'3" | 208 | 28 |
|
Sauryn Lao
73
|
R/R | 6'2" | 182 | 26 |
| R/R | 6'4" | 180 | 23 | |
Zack Littell
18
|
R/R | 6'4" | 250 | 30 |
|
Brad Lord
41
|
R/R | 6'3" | 210 | 26 |
| L/L | 6'0" | 185 | 30 | |
| R/R | 6'2" | 205 | 26 | |
Jorge López
48
|
R/R | 6'3" | 200 | 33 |
| R/R | 6'1" | 187 | 29 | |
| R/R | 6'4" | 230 | 37 | |
| R/R | 6'7" | 265 | 30 | |
| L/L | 5'11" | 205 | 28 | |
| L/L | 6'4" | 239 | 26 | |
| L/L | 6'2" | 210 | 28 | |
Luis Perales
43
|
R/R | 6'1" | 160 | 23 |
|
PJ Poulin
50
|
R/L | 6'1" | 195 | 29 |
| R/R | 6'4" | 190 | 26 | |
| R/R | 6'7" | 245 | 28 | |
| R/R | 6'8" | 241 | 27 | |
| L/R | 6'3" | 205 | 28 | |
| R/R | 6'5" | 239 | 37 | |
| L/L | 6'2" | 193 | 26 | |
Gus Varland
47
|
L/R | 6'1" | 225 | 29 |
|
|
L/L | 6'4" | 220 | 28 |
| R/R | 6'2" | 195 | 33 | |
|
R/R | 6'3" | 231 | 34 |
| CATCHERS | B/T | HT | WT | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R/R | 6'4" | 263 | 29 | |
| R/R | 6'0" | 215 | 31 | |
|
Harry Ford
17
|
R/R | 5'10" | 200 | 23 |
Drew Millas
14
|
B/R | 6'0" | 204 | 28 |
Keibert Ruiz
20
|
B/R | 5'11" | 238 | 27 |
| INFIELDERS | B/T | HT | WT | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L/R | 6'0" | 191 | 25 | |
|
Jake Alu
0
|
L/R | 5'10" | 195 | 29 |
| R/R | 6'0" | 200 | 27 | |
| L/R | 6'5" | 249 | 32 | |
|
L/R | 6'1" | 216 | 25 |
|
Brady House
12
|
R/R | 6'4" | 208 | 22 |
| R/R | 6'2" | 202 | 25 | |
|
Curtis Mead
45
|
R/R | 6'1" | 225 | 25 |
| B/R | 6'0" | 195 | 31 | |
Nasim Nuñez
26
|
B/R | 5'8" | 165 | 25 |
| L/L | 5'10" | 230 | 24 | |
| R/R | 6'1" | 217 | 30 | |
| L/R | 5'10" | 195 | 25 | |
Jorbit Vivas
84
|
L/R | 5'9" | 171 | 25 |
| OUTFIELDERS | B/T | HT | WT | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R/R | 5'11" | 203 | 24 | |
| R/R | 5'9" | 195 | 26 | |
| R/R | 6'1" | 228 | 30 | |
| L/L | 6'1" | 186 | 24 | |
| L/R | 5'11" | 195 | 23 | |
| L/R | 6'3" | 205 | 22 | |
| L/L | 5'10" | 180 | 24 | |
| R/R | 6'0" | 170 | 20 | |
Joey Wiemer
21
|
R/R | 6'4" | 226 | 27 |
|
James Wood
29
|
L/R | 6'6" | 234 | 23 |
|
Jacob Young
30
|
R/R | 5'11" | 192 | 26 |
May 04
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
LHP Cionel Pérez elected free agency.
|
May 03
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
|
The Washington Nationals optioned RHP Zak Kent to the minors.
|
|
|
The Washington Nationals claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers.
|
May 01
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
The Washington Nationals traded INF Zack Short to the Detroit Tigers.
|
April 27
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
|
The Washington Nationals optioned INF Andrés Chaparro to the minors.
|
April 26
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
|
The Washington Nationals recalled RHP Paxton Schultz from the minors.
|
|
|
The Washington Nationals placed RHP Clayton Beeter on the 15-day injured list.
|
|
The Washington Nationals recalled RHP Andre Granillo from the minors.
|
April 25
Player |
Transaction |
|---|---|
|
|
The Washington Nationals optioned RHP Riley Cornelio to the minors.
|
Nationals Injury Report
Nationals Depth Chart
Lovelady notched a save Sunday against the Brewers, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one. Lovelady was brought in for matchup-related reasons Sunday in his first save opportunity of the year. The southpaw faced a pair of left-handed hitters in Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell, retiring Mitchell before striking out Brandon Lockridge for the final out. Since coming over from the Mets via trade, Lovelady has a 1.29 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 7:5 K:BB over seven innings for Washington.
Littell (1-4) earned the win Sunday against the Brewers, allowing one run on one hit and one walk in 3.2 innings. He struck out one. Working behind opener PJ Poulin on Sunday, Littell quietly gave the Nationals one of his better performances of 2026 in long relief. It was just the right-hander's second appearance of the year with fewer than three runs allowed, and he kept the ball in the yard for just the second time in seven outings this season. Littell still has a rough 7.24 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB over 32.1 innings, so fantasy managers can likely find more appealing streaming options.
Dubin signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday. Dubin made his organizational debut Sunday with Triple-A Rochester, tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. The right-handed reliever most recently saw action at the big-league level with Houston and Baltimore in 2025, when he turned in a 5.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 33.2 innings.
The Nationals claimed Kent off waivers from the Twins on Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. Kent has bounced around aplenty over the last six months, with Washington now marking the fifth different stop for the righty reliever during that stretch. Though Kent will head to Triple-A, a strong showing in his initial appearances with Rochester could put him on the fast track to a Washington bullpen lacking in dependable arms.
Nationals manager Blake Butera said after Sunday's 3-2 win over the Brewers that Garcia will undergo an MRI on his sore right wrist Monday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. Garcia went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before he was lifted from Sunday's contest in advance of the sixth inning. The MRI should provide more clarity on the severity of the wrist injury, which Butera said that Garcia sustained while swinging the bat rather than playing the field.
Garcia was removed in the top of the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Brewers due to right wrist soreness. Curtis Mead checked into the game at first base in place of Garcia, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to his exit. The Nationals could have an update on Garcia's condition after the game, but for the time being, he can be viewed as day-to-day heading into Tuesday's series opener versus the Twins.
Littell is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher PJ Poulin in Sunday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. Poulin is expected pitch no more than one or two innings before giving way to Littell, who will work behind an opener for the second time all season. The Nationals are hoping that the arrangement will yield better results from Littell, who has pitched to an 8.37 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 23.2 innings while starting in his last five appearances.
Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. Zack Littell had been in line to start Sunday, but the Nationals will instead use him in bulk relief while having Poulin face off against the first few Milwaukee hitters. Poulin has opened on four other occasions for Washington this season, covering just 4.1 innings in those games while yielding one earned run on four hits and no walks.