Shinnosuke Ogasawara

February 15, 2025

Tosses bullpen Friday

Ogasawara threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Analysis

The 27-year-old left-hander didn't even fly in from Japan until Wednesday night, but Ogasawara had already been throwing with an MLB ball prior to his arrival in camp and may actually be a little ahead of the Nationals' other pitchers. While he doesn't have overpowering stuff or the strikeout upside to be worth a late-round dart throw in most fantasy formats, Ogasawara will be given every opportunity to win a spot in a Nationals' rotation that has plenty of arms in the mix but little established depth -- only MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin made 30-plus starts in the majors last year among the Nats' starting pitching options. Over 144.1 innings for the Chunichi Dragons in 2024, Ogasawara posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 82:22 K:BB.