Washington Nationals Release Former Top Prospect

April 03, 2026 , , ,
Team Israel's Matt Mervis hits the ball during 2026 World Baseball Classic game.

The Washington Nationals released first baseman Matt Mervis, ending his brief tenure with the organization after just one game with Triple-A Rochester. 

He went 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in that lone appearance. 

This is now the fourth organization to move on from Mervis, a former Chicago Cubs top prospect who has never been able to translate his enormous minor league power numbers into anything resembling consistency at the big league level. 

Mervis is now free to sign with any club interested in a left-handed power bat, and there's at least some industry speculation about whether an overseas opportunity might be more realistic than another domestic roster spot.

What Happened to Matt Mervis

Mervis was ranked the sixth-best first base prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline ahead of the 2024 season, and the hype was understandable at the time. 

In 1,318 Triple-A plate appearances across multiple organizations, he has slashed .264/.359/.522 with 71 home runs. The problem is what happens when the competition gets better. 

Through 261 major league plate appearances with the Cubs and Miami Marlins, Mervis has hit .165 with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Among 521 players with at least 250 plate appearances from 2023 to 2025, he ranked 502nd in overall contact rate and 506th in contact rate on pitches within the strike zone. 

The Cubs traded him to the Marlins two offseasons ago, where he hit seven home runs in the opening month before his strikeout rate ballooned to 37.3 percent and his production cratered entirely. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks had him in Triple-A last year, where even the power disappeared, as he hit just six home runs in 122 plate appearances. The Nationals signed him on a minor league deal over the winter as first base depth, but by the time spring was over, the need for him had shrunk considerably. 

Washington acquired first base prospect Abimelec Ortiz from the Rangers as part of the MacKenzie Gore return, and then added Curtis Mead from the Chicago White Sox. 

That made Mervis the fourth option at a position where he was supposed to be insurance, and one game into the Triple-A season, both sides moved on.

What Comes Next for the 27-Year-Old Slugger

Mervis turns 28 later this month and has now burned through opportunities with the Cubs, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Nationals. 

The domestic market for a first baseman who strikes out a third of the time and can't make contact against big league pitching is limited, but the power is real and it plays. 

Some industry observers have speculated an overseas move makes more sense than another domestic attempt at this stage.

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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