Nationals Demote Paxton Schultz, Call Up In-Season Trade Acquisition as Replacement
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Following a huge meltdown by the Washington Nationals bullpen on Tuesday, the organization decided to shuffle the relief staff once again.
The team announced that right-hander Paxton Schultz had been optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Tuesday's contest. It wasn't known who would be the replacement at the time, but Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan reported that left-handed reliever Carson Palmquist is set to be called up to make his Nationals debut after he was acquired from the Colorado Rockies on May 25.
It's clear that something had to be done when it came to Washington's bullpen. They are treading water in June, as none of their full-time relievers have an ERA that's below 4.50 during the month. Whether or not Palmquist can help right the ship isn't clear, but he at least gives manager Blake Butera another multi-inning arm to utilize.
Nationals Have Three Long Relievers on Their Roster
Palmquist joins Brad Lord and Mitchell Parker as long relievers the Nationals have in their bullpen. Schultz also operated in that role with 30 2/3 frames pitched across 25 outings, so Washington really just traded out a right-handed multi-inning guy for a left-handed one.
However, Palmquist is an intriguing arm. While he's struggled at the major league level with an ERA of 8.91, he is a former top 30 prospect. He also gives Butera the ability to stack the 25-year-old behind either Miles Mikolas or Zack Littell since he came up the ranks as a starting pitcher. During Palmquist's lone experience in the bigs with the Rockies, seven of his nine appearances were as a starter. And down on the farm, 63 of his 92 outings were as the starting pitcher, with the last two years being the first time he was utilized out of the bullpen.
That aspect should help the Nationals save their relief staff in the short-term. No bullpen across the MLB has pitched more innings than Washington's, so turning to Palmquist right now will hopefully help them reduce the mileage on that unit going forward.
Paxton Schultz Hasn't Provided Value That Nationals Envisioned
When it comes to Schultz, his tenure has been disappointing. Claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason when he was designated for assignment, the righty owns an ERA of 5.87 across 25 appearances (one start) with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks in 30 2/3 innings pitched. He also began the 2026 campaign on the injured list and has now been optioned twice.
Of course, that is the risk that comes from building a relief staff full of reclamation projects. Sometimes they hit and sometimes they don't. And it looks like Schultz might fall into the latter category based on how he's performed so far this year.
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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