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The Nationals Will Have a Second Pitching Prospect Make His MLB Debut

DJ Herz will make his MLB debut when he starts Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets. Herz will get his first big league start less than a year after being acquired in a trade that sent Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals to the Chicago Cubs. Herz, 25, has mixed results in the minors this year. On the other hand, his 3.75 ERA and 27.5 percent strikeout rate with Triple-A Rochester are both strong marks. The left-hander will take the rotation of Trevor Williams, who’s now on the 15-day injured list.

DJ Herz to Make MLB Debut Against the Mets

The timing of the injury to Williams is a tough one for the Nationals. Williams is 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 56 1/3 innings and 47 walks. The timeline for Williams to return is yet to be clear as he’s dealing with a muscle strain. Teammate Josiah Gray is dealing with the same injury and has been out for almost two months. Gray’s injury is proof that Williams won’t be returning to the mound anytime soon.

For Herz, he’s averaging just four innings per start while walking 19 percent of his opponents. Command issues have been a weakness for the left-hander, who’s never walked fewer than 13 percent of his opponents. Washington will hope that Herz can follow in the footsteps of another left-hander, Mitchell Parker. Seeing how the Nationals are still rebuilding and the lack of other pitching depth, Herz has a long runway to prove himself with Williams and Gray sidelined. Top prospect Cade Cavalli might be a potential alternative, although he’s being monitored in his return from 2023 Tommy John surgery. Jackson Rutledge and Thaddeus Ward, who are on the 40-man roster in Rochester, have ERAs well above 6.00 in Triple-A.

Herz is Leading in Some Minor League Pitching Categories

Herz is the top left-handed pitcher in the Nationals’ prospect system. He leads all of Minor League Baseball with a .176 opponents’ average and is third with a 13.09 K/9 since the beginning of the 2021 season. Herz is 3-0 in his last four starts with a 2.50 ERA over 18 innings pitched, 25 strikeouts and a .148 opposing batting average. He struck out ten batters against St. Paul on May 30, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings.

Aside from leading in pitching categories, Herz picked up a Vulvan changeup from Cubs senior pitching coordinator Casey Jacobson. The 79-81 mph cambio distances itself nicely off Herz’s low-90s fastball and drops nicely off the table as it approaches the plate. Late-life to his fastball helps it get more whiffs than the velo alone. His 81-85 mph slider in the more consistent of his breaking balls. But he can’t land his upper-70s curveball for strikes as often, making him vulnerable to walking right-handed batters despite the changeup advantage.

Main Photo: © Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Graves, Site Manager

Matt Graves, Site Manager

Matt Graves is an experienced baseball writer, and co-manager of LWOS Baseball. He is a graduate of the Radio Broadcasting program at Fanshawe College who has worked as a writer in radio, journalism, and digital media.

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