The Washington Nationals’ Opening Day roster was set as soon as they made the decision to option Adrian Sanchez and Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Syracuse following the final game in West Palm Beach, FL. this past weekend.
In advance of tomorrow’s regular season opener with the Cincinnati Reds, the Nats made it official though, releasing their 25-Man, Opening Day roster a little over 24 hours before the start of Game 1 of 162.
The top four in the rotation was set when pitchers started throwing bullpen sessions upon arriving at Spring Training, and A.J. Cole, the frontrunner going in, ended up claiming the fifth spot, in spite of a late-Spring signing (of veteran Jeremy Hellickson) that could impact plans once the right-hander is up to speed.