The injury list is doing the Rays no favors. Ryan Pepiot is done for the year after hip surgery, the bullpen is a triage unit with Uceta, Wilson, Heasley and Manuel Rodriguez all on the 60-day, and the outfield is patched together with Jake Fraley out 6-to-8 weeks post-hernia surgery. The one piece of good news: Kevin Cash said Jonny DeLuca (hamstring) could be activated during this series, which would at least give Tampa back a real right fielder.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana (RP) — Susana threw from a mound this week for the first time since undergoing lat surgery last September, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.06/14
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart (SP) — no05/25
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum (DH) — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.05/08
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora (SP) — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.05/08
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin (SP) — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) struck out four batters over three scoreless innings in his second rehab start Thursday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.06/11
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.06/11
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams (SP) — Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.06/05
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick (RP) — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/25
- 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon (RP) — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.05/08
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga (RP) — no05/08
- 10-Day-ILJonny DeLuca (RF) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that DeLuca (hamstring) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during this weekend's series versus the Nationals, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.06/17
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.05/18
- 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens (RP) — Scholtens was charged with a blown save and dropped to 5-3 on the season in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Orioles in 13 innings after yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits across 1.1 frames. He struck out one batter.05/27
- 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to take live batting practice against teammate Craig Kimbrel (wrist) on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.06/08
- 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
- 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Rodriguez (elbow) has no timetable to progress to facing live hitters, MLB.com reports.05/30
- 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — The Rays hope Wilson (back) will be able to start bullpen sessions June 8, MLB.com reports.05/30
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Uceta (shoulder) suffered a setback and received a PRP injection, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.05/29
- 60-Day-ILMichael Grove (RP) — Grove (shoulder) started a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Rays on Saturday.05/28
- 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08
Washington's rotation is also held together with tape — Jake Irvin is still shut down with the shoulder, Trevor Williams and DJ Herz are working back, Josiah Gray is finally throwing again — but Cavalli has quietly been the most reliable arm on the staff, with quality starts piling up over the last month-plus. If the Nats can get 5 or 6 from him and hand it to the leverage guys with a lead, that's a winnable spot against a Rays lineup that just got shut out once and held to 4 or fewer runs in 4 of its last 5.
For the Rays, this is a get-right series. Friday's series opener at Tropicana is the kind of game contending teams are supposed to take care of at home against a Washington club that just spent a week and a half feasting on Seattle and Kansas City. We'll see if the lineup wakes up or if the LA hangover lingers another night.