DJ Herz

Herz entered last season coming off a promising debut campaign in 2024, when he posted a 4-9 record (19 starts) with a 4.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 106:36 K:BB across 88.2 major-league innings. Unfortunately, after struggling in spring training and opening the 2025 season in Triple-A, his year was cut short in mid-April after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's unlikely to be available to pitch for the Nationals until around the All-Star break in 2026, and there may not be a clear path to a spot on the major-league roster when he returns from his rehab assignment. When healthy in 2024, Herz finished in the top quarter of the majors in whiff rate (29.3 percent), strikeout rate (27.7 percent), xERA (3.29) and xBA (.207), though he was well below league average in GB rate (36.9 percent) and BB rate (9.4 percent). Those numbers make Herz an interesting stash option in the hopes that he makes his way back to the majors in 2026. Read Past Outlooks