Nationals' Mason Thompson: Agrees to deal with Nats
Rotowire
Thompson (elbow) agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Thompson underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after reporting to spring training. He's expected to miss at least part of the 2025 regular season, though he should contribute out of the Nationals' bullpen once healthy.
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Nationals' Andry Lara: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Nationals selected Lara's contract from Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 21-year-old is now shielded from the Rule 5 Draft. Lara spent the 2024 campaign split between High-A Wilmington and Harrisburg, finishing with a 3.34 ERA and 132:44 K:BB over 134.2 frames. He'll likely begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Gets spot on 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Nationals selected Hassell's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell's star has faded since he was viewed as a top-100 prospect a year ago, as he managed just a .241/.319/.328 batting line over 85 games covering three levels during the 2024 minor-league season. However, the 23-year-old is still viewed highly enough that the Nationals didn't want to expose him to the Rule 5 Draft.
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Nationals' Clay Helvey: Lands with Washington
Rotowire
Helvey signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Saturday which includes an invitation to spring training, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Helvey has spent the past seven years with the Giants and spent most of the 2024 season with Triple-A Sacramento. Across 39 outings, Helvey posted a 5.17 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 97:35 K:BB across 71.1 innings. The 27-year-old right-hander will have a chance to earn a spot on the Nationals' major-league roster during spring training.
Garcia went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.
He took Aaron Nola deep in the opening frame for his 18th home run of the year. Garcia later added an RBI single in the fifth, but the Nationals ultimately fell short in their season finale. The 24-year-old Garcia showed tremendous growth in 2024, setting career highs across the board. The infielder finishes his breakout season with a .282 batting average, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 58 runs scored and 22 stolen bases in 140 games played.
Irvin (10-14) took the loss Sunday against the Phillies, allowing six earned runs on five hits and three walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Irvin stumbled out of the gates, allowing the bases to be loaded with zero outs in the opening frame. He managed to limit the damage to two runs, but Irvin ran into trouble again in the fifth inning. The right-hander again loaded the bases with nobody out, allowing a pair of runs to score on a Kyle Schwarber single and later a Weston Wilson double. The 27-year-old Irvin finishes his second professional campaign with a respectable 4.41 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 156:52 K:BB in 187.2 innings (33 starts). Irvin will look for more consistency next season after he limped to the finish line in 2024, pitching to a 5.90 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 57:23 K:BB in 71.2 innings after the All-Star break.
Crews went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies.
Crews was a pest all night and came around to score on a homer by Joey Gallo in the eighth inning. The 22-year-old has gone just 4-for-38 in his past 10 games, and Saturday was his first multi-hit effort since Sept. 17. On the season, he is hitting a lowly .198 but does have three home runs and 11 steals across 128 plate appearances with the Nationals.
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Nationals' James Wood: Hits two-run homer in win
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a triple and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies.
Wood opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Zack Wheeler in the sixth inning and then tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth. The 22-year-old is finishing his rookie season on a high note, hitting safely in eight of his past 10 contests with four extra-base hits and six runs scored. On the year, he's batting .269 with nine long balls, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored and 14 steals across 331 plate appearances.
