Editor’s Note: Be sure to read the full interview transcript exclusively for Nats Report+ subscribers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - From working concession stands at Nationals Park to competing for a role in the clubhouse, Trey Lipscomb’s path to the big leagues has come full circle. But as the Frederick, Maryland native returns to his hometown organization, he’s stepping into a Nationals camp defined less by familiarity and more by change, with a new coaching staff and a clubhouse still finding its footing.
“I feel like the spring has been very productive,” Lipscomb said in an exclusive interview with The Nats Report before Spring Training ended. “When we first got here, there were a lot of new faces, so it was nice from the jump to put names with those faces. I feel like I’ve really built a relationship with some of the coaches, and it’s been really nice. You never know going in with new people how it’s going to be, but it’s been fantastic and I have nothing but praises for it.”
Beyond the new coaching staff, the Nationals entered camp with a significantly reworked front office, creating an adjustment period for players who had spent their entire careers under the previous group. For Lipscomb, that meant not just learning new systems, but building relationships with leadership from the ground up as he also adapts to the changes.
“[Blake Butera] is always out there running around,” Lipscomb said of his new manager. “He’s watching the pitchers, and then he’s with the infielders and he’s watching us hit. Sometimes he’s even throwing BP. We sat down a couple times at the beginning of camp, kind of just to put together a plan for me. [Paul Toboni] is great too, he was in the meetings as well, so it was nice just hearing from them as well as all the new hitting coaches and field coaches.”
That adjustment has extended beyond relationships and into on-field development. Lipscomb spent part of the offseason at Driveline, where he began working on adjustments that have carried into camp alongside members of Washington’s new hitting infrastructure. At the facility, Lipscomb worked with Travis Fitta, who was later hired by Washington to be the assistant hitting coach of the Rochester Red Wings.
“I was at Driveline for a couple of days and we kind of worked on some things, but you can only work on so much within three days,” Lipscomb said. “So he kind of gave me a few cues and some tips and then when we got down to Florida, it was like we picked up where we left off, and it’s been nothing but good things.”
That continuity has become a key part of the early tone in camp, as players and coaches work to establish a more unified approach across the organization. With so many new voices in place, the emphasis has been on aligning plans and creating consistency in how players prepare and develop. As Lipscomb works through those adjustments, he is also focused on defining his role at the major league level.
“I feel like I’m a very versatile player, so I can really play anywhere, and I feel like I’m trying to use that to my advantage,” Lipscomb said. “Just being a guy who can go out there and one day play third base, one day play left field, or play second base—I feel like using that versatility is something that, not that I want people to know, but if people watch, they’d say, ‘Oh, this guy can play everywhere.’ I think that’s a pretty cool asset to have.”
Lipscomb’s path to that role has not been linear, as he has moved between levels over the past two seasons. For many young players, this kind of movement can disrupt both their confidence and routine. Lipscomb, however, was already no stranger to these sorts of adjustments, and has used it to improve both on and off the field.
“[Moving back and forth] has made me a better person, to be honest,” Lipscomb said. “Just growing up, I’ve always been traveling around. I moved a couple of times from elementary school … to high school, so the whole back-and-forth thing didn’t really upset me in any way. Obviously you want to be in the big leagues, but I think just growing up, going from place to place kind of helped me out with the uncertainty of what’s happening.”
That perspective carries added meaning given where his career is unfolding. As the first DMV local to play for the Nationals after growing up with the team in town, the Urbana High School graduate quickly became a hometown storyline when he was drafted by Washington in 2021. Before reaching the major leagues, however, Lipscomb’s connection to Nationals Park was much different.
“One of my buddies in high school, his dad owned one of the concession stands out there in DC,” Lipscomb said. “It just happened to be at Nats Park one day and he needed some extra workers. I remember me specifically, I was working … either popcorn or cotton candy. Me and my buddy got paired up with that and there were six of us. It was pretty cool. I don’t know how much of the game we got to watch, but we were selling a lot of popcorn and cotton candy.”
Now, he is working toward returning to that same ballpark in a very different role.
“It’s really cool because growing up you only see the outcomes and the outside of everything, just going to the games,” Lipscomb told me. “But actually being inside of the group that’s going to win a lot of ballgames, it is pretty cool because you’re not just going to the park watching the game, you’re actually preparing every day and you’re trying to win, which is really, really cool. As a fan, you go and you hope for the Nationals to win. But as a player that’s in the organization, and also being my hometown team, … it is kind of a surreal feeling, to be honest. But it is pretty cool because it feels like you’re doing something for your hometown, which is pretty sick.”
For Lipscomb, the path is still taking shape. The setting, however, is already familiar.