Nationals Bring in Lawrence for Bullpen Rescue

**Corey** (0:00)
On June 25th, the Washington Nationals are facing some serious bullpen blues, dropping another game they should have won. For the second night straight, they were just one strike away from victory, only to see it slip through their fingers. And again, the relief pitchers are taking the blame. It's a tough pill to swallow when the offense is clicking and the team is in playoff contention. In an effort to shake things up and find some stability, the Nationals have officially brought in veteran right-hander Justin Lawrence. He was recently picked up off waivers, and the team is hoping he can be the answer to their relief pitching woes. Lawrence is 31 years old and hasn't had the best season so far, with a rather high-earned run average of 8.04 across 30 Appearances He bounced around a couple of teams earlier this year, and the numbers weren't pretty.
However, there's a glimmer of hope because he had a fantastic short stint back in 2025, where his ERA was a minuscule 0.5.
One, the corresponding move to bring Lawrence aboard meant sending left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist back down to AAA Rochester.
Palmquist, who is 25, actually had a solid debut outing on Wednesday, pitching three and a third innings and giving up just one earned run, while striking out three. Despite his good performance, Palmquist was optioned because he threw 58 pitches and the Nationals desperately need available arms right now.
The expectation is that he'll be back up with the big club soon, especially if he keeps dealing like he did in his first appearance. Team coverage, powered by AI. This is Washington Nationals News Today. I'm Corey with the story.