Nationals Add More Offense to Roster After Recalling Opening Day Starter
In this story:
The Washington Nationals lost the opening contest of their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
It was a disappointing major league debut for right-handed pitcher Riley Cornelio, as the 25-year-old struggled to find the zone during his outing. That resulted in three runs allowed (two earned) across two innings pitched, where he issued four walks and only struck out one batter on his way to being credited with the loss.
Cornelio was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester after the game. There was no indication of what the corresponding roster move might be at the time, but ahead of Saturday's contest, the Nationals announced that first baseman Andres Chaparro was recalled.
Nationals Add More Offensive Options by Recalling Andres Chaparro
Chaparro was the starting first baseman on Opening Day against the Chicago Cubs. But after three games, Washington sent him down to Rochester despite him going 2-for-6 with a walk and a double. The 26-year-old didn't necessarily perform well at Triple-A with a slash line of .227/.301/.394 across his 18 contests. But he did hit three home runs and two doubles while recording 11 RBIs.
Now, the slugger is getting another opportunity in The Show. How he fits into the puzzle will be interesting to observe. Curtis Mead, who initially replaced Chaparro on the big league roster, is still with the team. The thought at the time was that Mead would give the Nationals more position flexibility since he can play at other spots across the infield while Chaparro is solely a first baseman. So how manager Blake Butera aligns things while both are on the roster will be intriguing.
Nationals Continue Their Search for First Base Answers
What is clear by this roster move is that Washington is still searching for answers at first base. Entering the offseason, this was a clear weakness on the team. Mead was acquired just days into the start of the 2026 campaign, and while he's been solid with three home runs and 10 RBIs through 19 games, he's been all-or-nothing with a .200/.273/.440 slash line.
Bringing Chaparro back up gives the Nationals another option to deploy at first base so they can use Mead elsewhere across the infield as needed. With Jose Tena and Jorbit Vivas being left-handed hitters, Mead is now a right-handed bat who can be called upon off the bench.
How long Washington chooses to carry both Chaparro and Mead on the 26-man roster will be interesting to see, as top 30 prospect Yohandy Morales is having a red-hot start to his year with Triple-A Rochester and could earn a promotion at some point early on this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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