Luis

García Jr.

García started at first base for the seventh time today and later moved to second, where he’s started five times. The acquisition of Jorbit Vivas adds to the likelihood that García will get most of his starts at first. In spite of his .139/.162/.222 line this spring, he’s probably going to hit third or fourth against righties, which will be nice for his fantasy value. It’s unclear how much he’ll play versus lefties, but given the Nationals’ lack of talent and their potential desire to trade García at the deadline, it might make sense to use him as a true regular initially and see what happens.

García capped off a four-run uprising off of Spencer Arrighetti in the third inning with a 400-foot (107.1 mph EV) three-run blast. He also singled in the ballgame. In his first game action of the spring, the 25-year-old infielder didn’t show any ill effects of the tight left hamstring that had limited him early in camp.

Jacob Young is also day-to-day with right wrist soreness after being hit by a pitch earlier this week. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern for either at this early stage of spring training but they’re both out of the Nationals lineups for Saturday’s split-squad contests.

The Nationals weighed non-tendering García after he slipped both offensively and defensively last season, but the offensive decline, at least, was not backed up by his career-best exit velocity numbers. It sounds like he’ll play some first base in spring training, but the Nationals haven’t added a second baseman to push him off the position. They still might wind up bringing in a first baseman instead.

Bernabel heads to Washington after slashing an underwhelming .252/.288/.410 with four homers and just a 17 percent strikeout ratr across 146 plate appearances for the Rockies last season. The 23-year-old corner infielder represents a worthwhile low-risk gamble for the rebuilding Nationals but departing high-octane Coors Field is a hit to his fantasy upside. He’ll presumably have a chance to compete with an in-house option like Andrés Chaparro for playing time between first base and DH next season. His path to regular at-bats evaporates if the Nationals move Luis García Jr. to first base permanently.

García was 4-for-4 in the second game before being intentionally walked by Miguel Castro in the eighth inning. The Nationals have talked about trying García at first base, but he’s only playing second in the DWL. He still might be a trade candidate with the Nationals wanting to improve their defense.

García hit two off of starter Yoendrys Gomez and then hit his third home run of the contest off reliever Jordan Leasure to give the Nationals a one-run lead in the eighth inning. The 25-year-old didn’t quite match last year’s breakout season, but he has 16 home runs and 66 RBI to go along with a .255/.291/.417 slash line, so it hasn’t been a bad season at the end of the day.

García receives his first opportunity at the cold corner after spending the last couple weeks practicing at the spot. The move gets red-hot rookie Nasim Nuñez in the lineup at second base with CJ Abrams back at shortstop. It’s been a down year for the 25-year-old infielder as he’s posed a lackluster .694 OPS with 13 homers and 13 steals across 134 games on the heels of last year’s impressive 18-homer, 22-steal breakthrough campaign.

No extra base hits here for García Jr., but a few balls hit over 95 mph, and he was on base four times as the leadoff hitter, which is all you can ask for. The 25-year-old has battled through some injuries this season and not matched his production from last season, but he still has be solid when healthy and remains an option in deeper fantasy leagues.

The Nationals are facing a lefty in Bailey Falter tonight, so García is batting eighth. He typically hits third or fourth against righties.