Nationals Surprisingly Release One of Their Early-Season Breakout Stars

Following the trade deadline, teams around Major League Baseball are making some adjustments to their rosters, and the Washington Nationals are no different.

Per an announcement from the team, the Nationals revealed that they requested unconditional release waivers on outfielder Joey Wiemer. The 27-year-old is now set to depart the organization. This past offseason on Jan. 5, he was claimed off waivers after the San Francisco Giants designated him for assignment.

This is a surprising move just based on what Wiemer accomplished with Washington early in the 2026 campaign when he was one of the biggest stories around baseball. But after he cooled off, he could never regain his previous form in the minors, and that ultimately caused the Nationals to go in this direction.

Natioanls Cut Bait With Joey Wiemer After He Made Franchise History

Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It feels like ages ago at this point, but what Wiemer did at the beginning of the season was not only historic for the Nationals franchise, but it also made MLB history, as well.

Against the Chicago Cubs during Washington's first series of the year, Wiemer became the first player in franchise history -- Montreal Expos included -- to reach base safely in all six of his first career plate appearances. He also hit two home runs as part of that streak. Then, he kept things rolling in the Nationals' next set, as he reached base safely in his first 10 consecutive plate appearances, which tied Carlos Delgado for the longest streak in MLB history to start a season in the last 75 years.

But things cooled off for Wiemer following that torrid start. While he still owned a .286/.398/.514 slash line across 32 games, Washington decided to option him to Triple-A Rochester to make way for Dylan Crews' major league return after he began the year in the minors.

Writing Was on the Wall for Joey Wiemer's Departure

At the time, it didn't really register. But when Andrew Pinckney was promoted to the big league roster to replace the injured James Wood, that was telling in regards to how the Nationals viewed their outfield pecking order.

Of course, the struggles of Wiemer with Rochester didn't help matters. He slashed .196/.277/.257 across 42 games with just one home and 16 RBIs. He also struck out 51 times, which was not a good sign that he'd be able to contribute against major league pitching if he was recalled.

Now, the former top 100 prospect will be looking for a new team to finish out the season after he made some history to begin this one.

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