Jake Irvin News: Looking to keep rotation spot

Published on February 24, 2026

Irvin allowed one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings in the Nationals' Grapefruit League game against the Phillies on Monday. He struck out two.

The 29-year-old right-hander is one of only two pitchers to make 33 starts each of the last two years, with the other being Giants ace Logan Webb, but the 2025 results for the two couldn't have been more different. Irvin's 5.70 ERA and 38 homers allowed over 180 innings were the worst marks in the majors among qualifying pitchers, and his 1.43 WHIP and 15.8 percent strikeout rate were both significantly worse than the season before as well. With the Nationals having signed Miles Mikolas and Foster Griffin this offseason to bolster their rotation, and Josiah Gray expected back from Tommy John surgery, Irvin may need a strong spring training performance to hang onto his spot.