Nationals Prepping One of Their Star Players for Possible Position Change

The Washington Nationals seem ready to make a key position change.

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Spring training should have plenty of intriguing storylines to follow for the avid Washington Nationals fan as the team gets set for the upcoming season.

Getting their starting rotation and bullpen figured out is at the top of the list. The catching battle between Keibert Ruiz and star prospect Harry Ford could produce fireworks. And finding a starting first baseman is also a clear need before Opening Day.

When it comes to the cold corner, the Nationals added multiple options to compete for that job this winter. They signed Matt Mervis and Warming Bernabel to minor league deals. They already have Andres Chaparro on their 40-man roster. And top 30 prospect Yohandy Morales is a non-roster invitee who could make some noise.

But there's another name who could be a real factor when it comes to first base, as Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reported Luis Garcia Jr. "will split his time" between first and second during camp.

Luis Garcia Jr. Could Become Nationals Starting First Baseman

Luis Garcia Jr. of the Washington Nationals | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

When Washington started working Garcia out at first base towards the end of last year and even had him start two games to close out the 2025 season, there was some thought that this position change could come eventually.

It was notable that Camerato also predicted Garcia would be the starting first baseman on Opening Day this year, which might have been a tell regarding which direction the Nationals are leaning when it comes to their willingness to make this happen now.

Paul Toboni Comments on Luis Garcia Jr.'s Possible Position Change

Luis Garcia Jr. of the Washington Nationals | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Based on the comments made by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, it seems clear that Washington is ready to see what Garcia can do over at first base and wants to hand him the keys to that position.

"If we watch him over the course of this next month and a half and we're like, 'Man, I think he's better suited for second base,' then we can always go back to second base," he said, per Camerato. "But we want to be able to give ourselves the runway to actually evaluate it and get Luis comfortable there just because I think he's got a shot at being pretty good over there."

Much of the reason for this possible position change is because Garcia was a disaster on defense at second base this past year. He was worth minus-seven outs above average and minus-17 defensive runs saved.

The new regime seems ready to move Garcia over to first, which would answer a major question heading into the upcoming season and potentially solve their hole at a key position for the long term.