The Washington Nationals need pitching from anywhere they can get it right now.
It seemed like left-hander DJ Herz was going to be the first reinforcement to return for the Nationals after he begun his rehab assignment. But he was shut down following an MRI that revealed he had a left flexor strain, which means he likely won't be back until the second half of the season.
Now, it appears like veteran right-hander Trevor Williams will be the first one to make his comeback for Washington , as he just finished his first rehab start with Single-A Fredericksburg on June 28. However, the 34-year-old didn't have a great showing, which is cause for some concern.
Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams | David Frerker-Imagn Images
Williams threw 26 pitches in just 2/3 of an inning. He gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits with one strikeout and no walks, as he was credited for the loss in his first outing since July 2, 2025 after he suffered a partial UCL tear that caused him to undergo an internal brace procedure.
That does not inspire confidence that he'll be able to bolster the Nationals' pitching staff when he is healthy enough to be activated following his rehab assignment, especially when factoring in the 6.21 ERA he had across 17 starts last season.
Regardless, Washington is in major need of arms. They just placed two established bullpen pieces on the injured list and will now rely on two pitchers who have less than 15 major league outings combined. So inserting Williams back into the fold no matter how he performs on this rehab assignment will be a boon for this pitching staff, which has thrown the most innings out of any relief unit in the MLB.
Ahead of the 2023 campaign, the Nationals signed Williams to a two-year, $13 million deal. During that season, he posted a 5.55 ERA across 144 1/3 innings over 30 starts. But in 2024, he was much better with a 2.22 ERA through 11 starts before Washington had to place him on the injured list due to a flexor strain. When he came back for the final two starts of the season to finish the year with an ERA of 2.02, and that caused the Nationals to ink him to another two-year deal prior to the 2025 season.
Washington is hoping they can get the 2024 version of Williams when he returns to their roster, so ideally, he'll find his form during this rehab assignment.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Injured Nationals Pitcher Trevor Williams Made His Return to Mound With Mixed Results .
