Why the Nationals cut Nathaniel Lowe 1 day after a grand slam
Lowe not only won the World Series playing for the Texas Rangers in 2023 but he also won a Gold Glove Award for fielding during that campaign as well. The previous season, he earned a Silver Slugger Award for his hitting. He was a major offseason acquisition for the Nationals via trade for Robert Garcia.
However, despite hitting the 100th home run of his career earlier this season and the first grand slam of his MLB career less than 24 hours ago, Lowe was designated for assignment by Washington. While one would expect this dinger could have helped save his job for a bit longer, that was not the case.
For one, it is worth noting that Lowe was making more than any other player on the roster at $10.3 million this season.
However, he was simply not living up to his expectations on the field and was not performing well.
Because he was designated for assignment, the Nationals could activate Dylan Crews from the 60-day injury list.
In fact, per FanGraphs, his Wins Above Replacement (-0.7) this season ranked second-worst among 161 qualified hitters this season. Only one player (Eric Wagaman of the Miami Marlins) grades lower in 2025.
His speed was particularly poor, via Baseball Savant, tied for third-worst in the baserunning runs metric. Meanwhile, his success rate as a fielder was the worst among all first basemen.
This was statistically the worst season of his professional career, but at just 30 years old, Lowe could potentially find a way to rebound and get back on track with a new organization.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why the Nationals cut Nathaniel Lowe 1 day after a grand slam
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Rookie Cade Cavalli earns first MLB victory as Nationals beat NL East-leading Phillies 2-0
WASHINGTON -- Cade Cavalli earned his first major league victory, James Wood hit a two-run double, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Saturday. Cavalli struck out five and scattered seven hits over seven innings for Washington. The last-place Nationals have won three of four. Trea Turner had three hits for NL East-leading Philadelphia, which was shut out for the eighth time this season and lost for the fourth time in five games. Cavalli (1-0) was Washington's first-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft and debuted in August 2022. He made only one start with the Nationals because of a shoulder injury, and didn't make it back to the majors until Aug. 6, after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. In his third start with Washington this season, Cavalli allowed only one runner to reach third. The 27-year-old right-hander retired the final eight batters he faced and needed only 90 pitches for the longest outing of his career. Washington didn't get a runner past second against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker (4-6) until the fifth inning, when Dylan Crews walked and moved to third on Brady House's single. Both runners scored when Wood doubled into the gap in right-center. Jose Ferrer pitched two innings for his second save. After J.T. Realmuto singled with one out in the ninth and advanced to second on an error by Wood, Ferrer got Brandon Marsh to ground out on one pitch and then struck out Harrison Bader to end it. Walker allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three. With runners on the corners in the fourth, Cavalli coaxed Max Kepler's double-play grounder to shortstop to escape the jam. Cavalli has not allowed a run in 11 1/3 innings over two home starts this season. Philadelphia RHP Aaron Nola (1-7, 6.16 ERA) comes off the injured list to make his first start since May 14. He faces Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (7-13, 5.55) as the four-game series concludes Sunday. ___
2 hours ago
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler diagnosed with blood clot in right arm, placed on 15-day IL
WASHINGTON -- The Philadelphia Phillies placed ace Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a blood clot in his right arm. Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations for the Phillies, said after a 2-0 loss at Washington that Wheeler had been diagnosed with a 'right upper extremity blood clot.' 'There's not a lot that we can say on it at this time,' said Dombrowski, who commended doctors for finding the clot. 'It could have been a much more trying situation than it is.' Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit said Wheeler had been feeling better after some right shoulder soreness caused him to push back a start earlier this month. But that changed Friday. 'He felt a little heaviness," Buchheit said. "So, the doctors here were great in helping to diagnose and expedite that diagnosis this morning.' Buchheit said he didn't think Wheeler's present condition had anything to do with his previous stiffness. He said there is a wide variety of treatments available, but he declined to get into specifics. Dombrowski said Wheeler would be evaluated further in Philadelphia. Wheeler pitched for the NL East leaders on Friday and was limited to five innings for the second consecutive start. The right-hander allowed two runs and four hits at Washington. The 35-year-old Wheeler, who made his third All-Star team last month, is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts this season. He has a major league-high 195 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings. He has thrown at least 192 innings in three of the previous four seasons. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said it was most important to get Wheeler back healthy. 'It's a scary situation, right? ... Just want to get him back in here and hear from him,' Schwarber said. "Hopefully it's not going to be too serious. Get him in here and get him healthy. 'You know, baseball is baseball, and when it comes to someone's health like that, we need him healthy first. You know, he's got a family, so we want to get him feeling good for them and get him back to speed whenever we can.' The Phillies will activate right-hander Aaron Nola from the injured list to start Sunday against the Nationals. Philadelphia planned to go to a six-man rotation with Nola's return, but instead will stick with a conventional five-man approach. 'Because we're adding Nola tomorrow, everybody's getting sort of getting an extra day,' manager Rob Thomson said. 'Then we have an off day (Thursday), and we get another extra day. We're in good shape and that's why you have depth." 'We don't know the timeline,' Thomson said. 'I'm thinking a lot about Zack and his family, because it's not a hamstring injury or something like that. But I feel good about the depth that we have. If we have to go to a sixth, it could be (prospect Andrew) Painter. It could be somebody else. We just have to carry on.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ohtani Keeps Making History
Ohtani Keeps Making History originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers are aiming to repeat as World Series champions. As mid-August rolls in, they remain on top of the National League West, fueled by a lineup that keeps pounding opposing pitchers. Shohei Ohtani continues to find new ways to make baseball history. This time, it's not about his pitching, even though he's still striking out hitters on the mound. Instead, it's about how often he's crossing home plate. According to OptaStats, Ohtani has scored 110 runs this season, while no other National League player has more than 80. That gap of at least 30 runs between first and second place hasn't happened in the NL since 1932, when Chuck Klein's lead peaked at 37 runs. Ohtani's Impressive 2025 Season The Dodgers slugger has played 115 games and is averaging nearly one run per game. Batting leadoff for one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball certainly helps, as does leading the league in plate appearances. Ohtani also tops the NL in slugging percentage at .614 and OPS at .999. Last year, he set a career high with 134 runs scored, leading the league while driving in 130 runs. This season, his RBI pace is lower, but he's still sitting at 40 home runs and 76 RBIs. Saturday's History Against Toronto Ohtani added another milestone on Saturday with a 417-foot homer to center field that gave Los Angeles a three-run lead. It was his 40th home run of the year and the fourth time in his career he has reached the 40-homer mark. He's also the third player to record multiple 40+ home run seasons in both the American League and National League. The only others to do it are Jim Thome and Mark McGwire. Building Strength on the Mound Ohtani is coming off a start that featured eight strikeouts, proving his two-way dominance is still alive and well. Performances like this are rare, and baseball hasn't seen a run-scoring lead like his in more than 90 years. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
