Monday’s News & Notes
| Team | Yesterday | Today | Pitching Probables |
| Rochester | Lost, 7-0 | OFF DAY | N/A |
| Harrisburg | Won, 3-0 | OFF DAY | N/A |
| Wilmington | Lost, 3-1 | OFF DAY | N/A |
| Frdericksburg | Lost, 7-1 | OFF DAY | N/A |
Worcester 7 Rochester 0
• Solesky (L, 0-2) 5⅓ IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 5K, HR
• Bollenbacher 1⅔ IP, 1H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 0K, 2HBP, HR(GS)
• Cluff 1-3; 1IP, 1H, 0R, 1K
• Arruda 1-3
The Red Wings were shut out on six singles to lose the game, 7-0, and the series, 5-1. Chase Solesky took the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits (one HR) over five and 1/3rd inning. Matt Bollenbacher followe, but his AAA debut was marred by a walk, a Robles, and a grand slam. Jackson Cluff and J.T. Arruda to lead the “offense,” with Cluff working around a hit in the 9th to put up a goose egg and be the most effective Rochester pitcher for the game.
Roster moves: RHP Andry Lara recalled to Washington as 27th man; J.T. Arruda reassigned from Harrisburg.
Harrisburg 3 New Hampshire 0
• Luckham (W, 1-1) 6IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 5K
• Grissom (SV, 4) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 1BB, 0K
• De La Cruz 2-4, R, 3B
• Lawson 1-3, R, HR, 2RBI
Four Harrisburg pitchers combined to shut out New Hampshire, 3-0 on four hits and split the series. Kyle Luckham went the first six and allowed two hits and one walk while strikcing out five to get the quality-start-win. Luke Young and Junior Santos both put up a goose egg to earn a hold while Marquis Grissom Jr. cordero’d around a one-out walk and a single to preserve the win and the shutout while notching his fourth save. Carlos De La Cruz tripled, scored a run on Nick Schnell sac fly, and singled while Cortland Lawson smacked a two-run HR to lead the Senators offense.
Hudson Valley 3 Wilmington 1
• W. Arias 3IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, HR
• Jimenez (L, 1-11IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K
• A. Cruz 2-4
• Lomavita 1-4, RBI
The Renegades rallied for two in the 6th to break a 1-1 tie and take the series finale from the Blue Rocks, 3-1, and complete the six-game sweep. Wander Arias was the opener and gave up the first run on a home run while walking one and striking out two over three innings. Yeuris Jimenez took the loss on two hits and two walks over a single inning pitched. Jared McKenzie led off the game with Wilmington’s only extra-base, taking third and then sccoring on a pair of groundouts to the right side. Armando Cruz collected two of the five singles the Blue Rocks mustered over the last eight innings.
Fayetteville 7 Fredericksburg 1
• Tolman 3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, HBP, WP
• Roman 2IP, 4H, 5R, 5ER, 1BB, 1K, 2HR
• Ross 2-5, 2-2B
• Rombach 2-4
Fredericksburg dropped the series finale to Fayetteville, 7-1, and settled for a series split. Erik Tolman opened the game with three innings of one-run ball. Losing pitcher Angel Roman served up five runs over two innings on four hits, including a pair of two-run homers. Jackson Ross doubled twice while Nate Rombach singled twice to lead the FredNats attack.
The Nats promoted a guy named JT Arruda to AAA Rochester. He’s 27 and a former 11th round pick in 2019. The poor guy has a lifetime .229 average in his minor league career. His career OPS is .670. Is this a sign of desperation or what? This leads me to my real question: aside from–probably– House and maybe Luke Dickerson a few years hence (I guess he starts rookie ball soon?), who do the Nets have in their system who could move into the MLB IF at some point without embarrassing the team and fans? A real prospect, not just a hope if he can correct this or that major flaw.
Here is link to this website’s watch list which identifies the Nats’ prospects at each position:
https://nationalsprospects.com/2025-watchlist-and-player-reports/
A roundabout way of saying there is not anyone who would not be woefully inadequate in the system.
House is our only hope. Wallace has started really poorly. Dickerson still has yet to.play a professional game and is a couple months shy of his 20th birthday. King is striking out nearly 50% of the time in A ball. And Morales has gone into witness protection. Everyone else listed is realistically a non-factor, unless you’re REALLY high on Phillip Glasser. I am, and even I think he’s a non-factor this year (and likely into the futute), but a nice story nonetheless.
Then there’s Juan Yepez, who’s blown his chance, hitting below the Mendoza Line in the batter friendly Intl League. Darren Baker, another feel good story, but does everything Luis Garcia does, but much worse, with all the same risks.
It’s why signing an infielder was needed this winter. But here we are…
Let’s hope Chaparro returns from injury sooner than later.
But that’s not out of the ordinary!
Baseball is really hard. Most systems have 2 or 3 prospects who are coinflips or better to become productive regulars (ie 2+ WAR/yr). No systems have more than 5 or 6.
You’re further narrowing it to IFs – how many do you expect? 2 would be the absolute most, and we have one. That’s fine!
(Which doesn’t mean I disagree about the merits of signing better FAs – I just don’t think we should really be that surprised or upset when a prospect like Wallace take a step backwards. It’s literally more likely to happen than not.)
Really unfair characterization of Seaver King.
He’s played 12 games in 2025.
King got off to a wretched start (not uncommon at a new level in crappy early April weather) and even so, he has not struck out in 50% of his plate appearances in A-Ball.
FWIW, King had a solid contact rate in his brief time in F’Burg and at a high level in college.
There are plenty of places to take shots at the Nats’ player development system, but to make conclusions about Seaver King after 50 plate appearances in Wilmington (he has also been dinged up) is about a bad a take as some can have.
Maybe I misread Ed’s question, but I was writing on the assumption he was asking about infielders who could contribute in THIS season.
There’s still hope for King, for sure, even if this has been just about the worst possible start to the season.
Will, I was not so much focused on this season as I was seeing a decent group of prospects who could contribute in the fairly near future – – two or three seasons down the road. I have patience, as long as the Nats seem to be on a decent road to success. I’m also concerned about outfielders. The Nats are not as loaded as they say they are. I have hope for Phillip Glasser too, but he seems to be groomed as a utility IF and OF. I would also like to see someone at the MLB level who has more versatility than. Chaparro, even if he has a chance to hit better than Josh Bell.
Out of all the pitiful performances thus far this year, the most surprising and concerning is Wallace. He was supposed to be a decent finished product who despite being injured last year, was supposedly close to the majors. And yet here he is completely floundering at AA at age 24.
Thanks Rizzo, for not making any changes to our PD staff..it is working wonders!
At least Arruda had a highlight of the game when he made a diving stop to his right and threw out the batter. The other highlight was Cluff striking someone out on a 64 MPH pitch. I feel sorry for Bollenbacher who made a huge jump to AAA and was really struggling getting anywhere near the plate. Chaves comes out to talk to him and I don’t know what he said but the next pitch was the grand slam. Trivia question, what is the record for number of minor league games where a fielding player has pitched at least one inning? We might get there.