Good Morning, Washington Nationals fans.
Here are your Washington Nationals Morning headlines, news, analysis, and more for Friday, July 10, 2026.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!
Some important items to kick off this Friday’s Morning Briefing!
We have added a brand new feature for our Live Blogs Alerts. Don’t miss a moment of Washington Nationals baseball. 🚨 All The Nats Report Live Blogs now include live alerts, delivering instant updates straight to you during the game. Stay locked in from first pitch to final out. Click in, follow along, and turn alerts on: http://alerts.thenatsreport.com
MLB Draft and Futures Game. We will be on the ground in Philadelphia this weekend and at this year’s Futures Game on Sunday. Be sure to follow our Minor League Social media channels on X and Facebook and don’t forget to check out our MLB Draft Live Blog all weekend long!
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Tonight vs. New York Yankees 6:45 PM ET - Can Luis continue slugging at such a high level?
Saturday- MLB Draft 1:00 PM ET - Rounds 1-4
Saturday vs. New York Yankees 4:05 PM ET - How will the Nats play against AL Cy Young caliber pitcher Cam Schlittler?
Sunday- MLB Draft 11:30 AM ET - Rounds 5-20
Sunday vs. New York Yankees 1:35 PM ET - Will the Nats win the series?
Monday - Start of All-Star Break
DAY BEFORE THE DRAFT
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Tomorrow is the start of the MLB draft, and the Nats will have an important decision to make with the 11th pick. The draft is undeniably one of the most important days for a franchise to build its future team.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Picks: On Saturday, the Nats will draft at numbers 11, 42, 78, and 106.
Former first-round picks: In previous years, the Nationals selected Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Cade Cavalli, all of whom have had success in MLB. The Nats recently drafted prospects Eli Willits and Dylan Crews in the first round.
Potential selections: In most Mock drafts, the Nationals are taking either Third baseman Ace Reese from Mississippi State or infielder Chris Hacopian from Texas A&M. Other potential draft options are pitcher Liam Peterson from Florida, shortstop Tyler Bell from Kentucky, or high school outfielder/pitcher Jared Grindlinger.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
When asked about the importance of the draft, assistant general manager Devin Pearson said: “An organization should be aligned on what you believe in with developing players, and you should draft to those beliefs.”
📈 MORNING STAT
The last time the Nats had the 11th pick, they drafted Brady House.
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who do you want the Nats to draft at 11? Is there a player projected to go in later rounds that you think Washington should take?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
Want exclusive breakdowns before anyone else? 🔔 Subscribe to The Nats Report+ Morning Briefing — exclusive access, deep dives, and so much more!
YANKEES SERIES PREVIEW
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Washington starts their last series before the All-Star break tonight against the New York Yankees. The Yankees are an AL contender, and this is the perfect opportunity for the Nats to gain some ground in the wild-card race and build momentum before the All-Star break.
📊 THE BOX SCORE
Nats pitchers: Game 1- Carson Palmquist ( 0-1, 7.11 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) Game 2- Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 4.9 BB%) Game 3- Cade Cavalli (5-4, 3.88 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 96.5 fastball velo, 85.5 mph curve ball average)
Yankees pitchers: Game 1- Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 26.9 K%, 95.1 average Fastball velo) Game 2- Cam Schlittler (9-5, 2.01 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 29.6 K%, 35.2 Chase %) Game 3- Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, .256 xBA)
First base: Luis Garcia Jr. is coming off arguably the best month in his career, batting .306, hitting 11 home runs, and driving in 27 RBIs. Ben Rice leads the Yankees in batting average(.275), home runs(28), RBIs(65), and hits (90).
Speedy second basemen: Nasim Nunez is first in the MLB in stolen bases (33) and has an OBP of .331. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is third in stolen bases(26) and has a slugging percentage of .388.
🎙️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
When asked about team contributions, CJ Abrams said, “We get on base, we hit balls hard, and we score runs. So we’re going to keep that going.”
📅 NEXT AT BAT
Next Game: vs. Yankees, 7/10/2026, 6:45 PM ET, Nationals Park
Probables: Nats — Carson Palmquist, Yankees — Ryan Weathers
Key Storyline: Can Luis continue slugging at such a high level?
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Who will be the difference maker in this series?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
Like this recap?
👉 Forward to a friend and Subscribe to Nats Report+ for insider quotes, extra analytics, and so much more.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
⚾ DUGOUT DISPATCH
Since Wednesday, the Nats organization has made 3 transactions due to injuries and a free-agent signing. The transactions due to injuries are for rehabbing pitchers, and the free-agent signing was for third baseman Devin Ortiz.
📊 THE BOX SCORE:
Brad Lord: On Thursday, Lord was placed on the 15-day IL. Lord has been one of the main relief pitchers for the Nats this year, playing in 27 games. In those 27 games, he has thrown 52 strikeouts and has a 3.88 ERA through 58 innings.
Trevor Williams: On Wednesday, Williams was sent to a rehab assignment with the Rochester Red Wings. Williams has been on his rehab assignment since June 28th, and since then, he has pitched one game for Fredericksburg, one for Harrisburg, and one for Rochester. In those three games, he has pitched 5.2 innings, struck out five, and allowed seven hits and four runs.
Devin Ortiz: Ortiz, who was recently released by the Chicago Cubs organization, was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators on Thursday. While in Double-A with the Cubs, Ortiz had a .120 batting average, but in his debut with the Senators, Ortiz went 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs.
🗣️ LOCKER ROOM LORE
💬 FAN’S CHOICE
Are you happy with the addition of Devin Ortiz? Do you think Williams is ready to return to the MLB?
📬 SUBSCRIBER CTA
Want the full breakdown before anyone else? 🔔 Subscribe to The Nats Report Morning Briefing — exclusive access, deep dives, and insider audio drops every weekday morning.