Nationals Activate Crucial Veteran Reliever After Latest Bullpen Disaster
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Uncanny.
That was one of the words that came to mind -- among others that can't be repeated on here -- after the Washington Nationals snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for the second night in a row. Just like on Tuesday night, the Nationals were one strike away from winning Wednesday's contest. And once again, the bullpen was responsible for the loss.
The discussion about Washington's bullpen struggles is not a new one. The last time they had a relief staff that finished the season with an ERA in the upper half across the majors was in 2022, and even then they ranked No. 15.
However, the issues this year have been even more frustrating considering how good this offense has been and the fact they are in the playoff picture. So, with the Nationals searching for answers from anywhere they can possibly get them, they have officially activated veteran right-hander Justin Lawrence after they recently claimed him off waivers.
Nationals Hoping Justin Lawrence Can Provide Stability
Lawrence, a 31-year-old former 12th-round pick, has not had a good showing this season with an ERA of 8.04 across his 30 appearances. He started the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates before they designated him for assignment following a stretch where he posted an ERA of 5.32 over 23 outings. Things got even worse with the Minnesota Twins when he had an ERA of 18.00 in seven appearances.
That doesn't inspire a ton of confidence that he's going to provide stability to this bullpen unit. However, he did have a great abbreviated season in 2025 when his ERA was 0.51 across 17 outings. So the hope is that Washington can unlock that version of him to get a much-needed upgrade to their relief staff.
Carson Palmquist Optioned to Triple-A Rochester After Strong Showing
The corresponding move for Lawrence's activation was to option left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist back down to Triple-A Rochester following his debut outing for the Nationals on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old had a great showing for himself, though. He opened the game ahead of Miles Mikolas and threw 3 1/3 innings where he allowed just one earned runs on two hits, while he struck out three and walked one.
That performance by the lefty should have him back in the mix for more opportunities at the major league level going forward. But for now, he'll be in Rochester since he's be unavailable to pitch in the coming days due to the fact that he threw 58 pitches on Wednesday and Washington needs as many available bullpen arms as they can get at this point.
When he's ready, Palmquist should be recalled back to the big league roster. And if he keeps performing in the way he did, that would be a huge boon for this pitching staff.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai