Nationals Activate Trevor Williams, Reveal Plan for How He Will Be Used
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With just days until the 2026 trade deadline, the Washington Nationals activated one of their veteran pitchers off the injured list who they hope can help their pitching staff.
In an announcement from the team, they revealed that right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams was reinstated from the 60-day IL after he had been on a rehab assignment. That was the corresponding move after right-handed reliever Gus Varland was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester. Williams is now set pitch in a major league game for the first time since July 2, 2025 after he suffered a partial tear to his UCL that caused him to undergo the internal brace procedure.
Williams, who has mainly been a starter during his career, is now set to embark on a role change.
Nationals Set to Use Trevor Williams Out of Bullpen
Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the initial plan is for Williams to be used out of the bullpen in bulk relief. That aligns with the organization's decision to send left-handed pitcher Andrew Alvarez back to down to the minors, since the Nationals need as much bullpen help as they can get.
Whether or not Williams can be effective in that role remains to be seen. The only time the 34-year-old has been used as a reliever in his big league career came back in 2022 when he was with the New York Mets. During that season, he had an ERA of 2.47 across 21 appearances out of the bullpen, while he had a 4.19 ERA over nine starts.
Regardless of how Williams is going to be used, it's difficult to predict what he's going to look like. After all, he didn't have a great showing with Washington before he got hurt last year, as he owned a 6.21 ERA across 17 starts. However, in 2024 the season prior, the right-hander was lights out for the Nationals with a 2.03 ERA across 13 starts before he suffered a right flexor strain that caused him to go on the injured list in early-June of that year.
Expecting Williams to be a savior for this pitching staff is probably too much to ask. It's not a secret that he was declining even before suffering a flexor strain and partial UCL tear that has caused him to make only 30 starts in the last three years combined. But Washington has been searching for bulk relievers throughout the season, and with Williams set to step into that role, he could be the answer.
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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