Nationals Add High-Upside Bullpen Arm to 40-Man Roster Ahead of Opening Day
The Washington Nationals made some massive roster decisions with spring training winding down.
After there was a battle for the fifth spot in the rotation throughout camp, they made their decision to go with Mitchell Parker over DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, optioning the latter two to their Triple-A affiliate.
That decision wasn't necessarily a surprise based on how the trio had performed.
Parker looked like the best of the three, and with Herz's velocity down and Ogasawara struggling with his command, going with the rising lefty was a no-brainer.
But, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this for the Japanese national.
The organization was adamant about the fact that Ogasawara was signed this winter to be a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, shutting down the notion that he could be used out of their bullpen. Moving him to the minors to start the year suggests that is their plan, especially after the recent roster move they just made.
Per the team's social media account, Colin Poche was added to the 40-man roster.
The Nationals have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Colin Poche.
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) March 22, 2025
The 40-man roster is now at 40.
Signed to a minor league contract in February, the left-hander is an intriguing option for the Nationals when it comes to their bullpen.
Poche has a career ERA of 3.63 with an ERA+ of 112 across his 222 appearances in the bigs, striking out 230 batters in 208.1 innings pitched.
He was a surprising non-tender of the Tampa Bay Rays this winter after he's posted three straight seasons with an ERA under 4.00 since coming back from Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
How Poche factors into the mix for Washington this year will be seen, but with him now on the 40-man roster, he's someone who could be a featured part of this relief staff at some point.
