The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday and requested unconditional release waivers on right-handed pitcher Lucas Sims on Friday night. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Brzykcy, 25, pitched to a 2.35 ERA (2 ER/7.2 IP) with 14 strikeouts, three walks and a .207 opponents’ batting average in eight Minor League appearances this season. This will be his second stint with the Nationals. He served as the 27^th man for the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians on May 6. He allowed one earned run on two hits with one strikeout in one inning of relief.

Brzykcy made his Major League debut in 2024 after going undrafted in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. He recorded a 2.04 ERA with 43 strikeouts and a .130 opponents’ average in 30 games across four Minor League levels before his debut on Sept. 1 vs. Chicago (NL).

Sims, 31, went 1-0 with a 13.86 ERA in 18 appearances out of Washington’s bullpen in 2025.

OK, who’s ready for a whole lot of baseball in a short amount of time? Monday night’s rainout forced the Nationals and Guardians to play a straight doubleheader today. (If you have a ticket for tonight’s original 6:45 p.m. game, you can come watch both games. If you had a ticket to Monday’s rainout, you’ll need to exchange it.) And with Wednesday’s series finale already scheduled for 12:05 p.m., there’s a very real possibility this entire three-game series is completed within the span of 24 hours.

Given all that, pitching is of the essence, and both teams will be looking for length out of their starters today. Jake Irvin is a good choice for the opener; he’s gone at least six innings in each of his last five starts, and if he’s efficient enough I wouldn’t be surprised if Davey Martinez lets him go seven. Irvin does need to keep the ball in the yard; he has surrendered a league-leading eight homers in seven games so far.

Luis L. Ortiz gets the ball for Cleveland. The 26-year-old right-hander, acquired from the Pirates over the winter, has been excellent since allowing seven runs in San Diego in his season debut. Over his last five starts, Ortiz has a 3.29 ERA and 34 strikeouts in only 27 1/3 innings.

Both teams get a 27th man for the doubleheader, and the Nationals chose to call up reliever Zach Brzykcy. The right-hander opened the season on the 15-day injured list with a quad strain, but he’s healthy now and has made five appearances for Triple-A Rochester, most recently on Sunday.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 3:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center field