Nationals' DJ Herz: Might begin season in minors

Herz appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Mitchell Parker seems on track to claim the fifth starter role behind MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams and Michael Soroka. Herz tinkered with his mechanics this offseason, and the results this spring haven't been pretty, as he's walked nine batters in 9.2 Grapefruit League innings while recording only four strikeouts. The 24-year-old lefty may need some time at Triple-A to regain the form that saw him rack up a 27.7 percent strikeout rate against a 9.4 percent walk rate over his first 88.2 big-league innings in 2024.