Parker, Alvarez among latest round of cuts

Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez were among seven players demoted by the Nationals, who send the newly signed Zack Littell to the mound tonight

The Nationals made another round of cuts this afternoon, and this one included more prominent names than previous rounds, bringing more clarity to the club’s Opening Day pitching plans.

Mitchell Parker, Andrew Alvarez and Jake Eder all were optioned to Triple-A Rochester, where all three left-handers are expected to start. Infielders Matt Mervis, Trey Lipscomb and Seaver King, plus reliever Trevor Gott, were reassigned to minor-league camp, bringing the number of healthy players remaining in major-league camp to 41 with less than two weeks to go until the season opener.

Parker’s demotion is actually the first of his career, the lefty having been part of the Nationals’ active roster since his impressive April 15, 2024, debut at Dodger Stadium. He started 59 games over the last two seasons but was bumped to the bullpen last September after sustained struggles. Overall, he’s 16-26 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.372 WHIP across 315 2/3 major-league innings.

Parker’s moderate success at the end of 2025 seemed to make him a candidate to begin this season in the Nats’ bullpen as a long man. But it appears club officials prefer he continue to start at Triple-A and make himself a candidate to return to D.C. if and when the need arises.

The same applies to Alvarez and Eder, who also figure to begin the season in the Rochester rotation. Alvarez exceeded expectations in five big-league starts last September, producing a 2.31 ERA and 1.114 WHIP. Eder, acquired last July in the trade that sent veteran relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia to the Angels, started two Grapefruit League games this spring and posted a 2.70 ERA across 6 2/3 total innings.

Parker’s demotion also paves the way for Brad Lord to open the season as a long reliever, a move that was telegraphed with this week’s signing of veteran starter Zack Littell (who makes his debut tonight against the Mets).

The demotions of Mervis, King and Lipscomb, while not surprising, do whittle down the candidates for available infield spots on the Nationals’ Opening Day roster. Mervis, who came to camp hoping to be part of a timeshare at first base, appears to have lost out to Luis García Jr. (who could move between first and second base), with Andrés Chaparro serving as the right-handed half of the platoon. Rookie Abimelec Ortiz remains in camp but is just 2-for-22 at the plate.

King, the club’s 2024 first-round pick, got an extended look this spring and could figure into long-term plans as a versatile infielder who can play multiple positions. Lipscomb held that role during much of the 2024 season but has since seen his stock in the organization fall.

Gott, who pitched for the Nationals from 2016-18, was hoping to make his case for a bullpen job.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game against New York. As was the case Thursday evening, unfortunately there is rain in the area. Also unfortunate: There is no TV or radio coverage of this game ...

NEW YORK METS vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: None
Weather: Chance of rain, 77 degrees, wind 9 mph right to left

METS
RF Carson Benge
DH Mark Vientos
1B Brett Baty
SS Ronny Mauricio
3B Christian Arroyo
2B Vidal Brujan
C Hayden Senger
LF A.J. Ewing
CF Cristian Pache

RHP Carl Edwards Jr.

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
RF Daylen Lile
1B Luis García Jr.
CF Dylan Crews
DH José Tena
2B Nasim Nuñez
C Drew Millas
3B Yohandy Morales

RHP Zack Littell