DJ Herz

Washington Nationals left-hander DJ Herz (elbow) will start a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals, according to Milb Central. Herz is close to making his return to the Nationals after having Tommy John surgery last year. Through his first two rehab starts in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, the 25-year-old southpaw has looked strong, throwing five scoreless innings with no walks and eight strikeouts. The Nationals aren't going to rush Herz back to the big leagues, though, so he could still require a handful of rehab starts before they consider reinstating him from the 60-day injured list. The former eighth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2019 made his major-league debut with Washington in 2024 and went 4-9 with a 4.16 ERA (3.71 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 106 strikeouts and 36 walks in 88 2/3 frames across his 19 starts. Herz was more of a fly-ball pitcher, but his 29.3% whiff rate and 27.7% strikeout rate make him an interesting long-term starting option for those in deeper fantasy leagues. In those same formats, managers may want to consider stashing Herz now. He's available in all Yahoo leagues right now.