One position we have not talked about too much this offseason is the utility infield spot. Bench spots are not the sexiest thing to talk about, but they can be very important. The Nats actually have three players that have a chance to fill that utility infield spot. Those players are Nasim Nunez, Orelvis Martinez and Jose Tena.
Unless the Nats bring in another player, like a Willi Castro, these guys are going to have a camp battle. All three have pretty unique skillsets and would bring different things
to the table. How each of these guys perform this spring will tell us a lot about who wins the job.
Right now, you have to say that Nasim Nunez is the favorite to win this job. He has always been a great defender, but Nunez had an unexpected power surge. The defensive ace exploded for four homers in 39 at bats in September, which were the first four of his MLB career.
This really came out of absolutely nowhere because he only had 9 career minor league homers in over 1,500 career at bats. Is this power at all sustainable? If it is, Nunez is a very valuable player. He put up 0.8 fWAR in just 39 games last year. If Nunez can just tread water as a hitter, the defense makes him very valuable.
Nunez is also a great clubhouse presence, which is something you want from a bench guy. His energy is contagious and seems to have a strong impact on the other young players. The only real question is the offense because this power could be a blip on the radar. His bat speed was up significantly in 2025, so there is reason to believe he could hit for at least some power. Nunez is a shortstop, but can play second and probably third base. He has also gotten reps in center field before.
The next candidate has a very different profile to Nunez. Orelvis Martinez was a former top 100 prospect for the Blue Jays. However, after a steroid suspension and a rough 2025, he was let go by the club. The Nats picked him up as a minor league free agent and gave him a Spring Training invite. He ranks as the Nats 20th best prospect according to Pipeline.
Martinez can play second or third base, but is known for his jaw dropping power. When he is at his best, Martinez has elite power upside. The 24 year old has hit 123 career minor league home runs. Martinez also destroys left handed pitching, so he could be a platoon partner for Luis Garcia Jr. at second base.
However, there are some red flags here. After a steroid suspension, his production fell off a cliff in 2025. He posted OPS numbers over .800 in AAA in 2023 and 2024, but that fell to .636 in 2025. Was he just a product of PED’s?
I guess the Nats are willing to find out. He is probably going to start the season in AAA, but if he has a strong spring, he has a chance to win a job. Martinez is not a great defender, but he can play a couple different positions. If he can get back to what he was before 2025, this could be a real nice pickup for the Nats.
The last guy I want to discuss is someone Nats fans should be familiar with. That would be Jose Tena. Since coming over as part of the Lane Thomas trade, Tena has had moments, but has not been able to put it all together.
He seems like he should be a better hitter than he is. Despite not hitting any homers in the MLB last year, he hits the ball hard. His contact skills are pretty solid as well. However, he has been unable to lift the ball to the pull side in his MLB career. His career air pull percentage of 6.7% is 10% below the league average.
If he can unlock that skill, I think he could be a really nice hitter. The bat is going to have to do the lifting because his glove is not amazing. He can play second base, third base and even shortstop, but he is not great at any of those spots. Tena put up -5 outs above average last year.
Tena seems to be on the outside looking in here. He would be yet another left handed bat on a team that needs righties. Tena does not have the defense of Nunez or the power of Martinez. There are skills here and he could play a role at some point this season, but he will likely start this year at AAA.
If I had to guess, Nasim Nunez would be the Nats utility infielder to start 2025. He just checks the most boxes. Nunez is a stellar defender, which the Nats really need. He also showed some offensive promise down the stretch. There is a chance the hitting was just a flash in the pan, but he deserves a shot as a full time big leaguer.
Nunez should have the job if he has a good spring, but this is a situation worth monitoring. We still don’t know how the new regime values some of these players, so Spring Training will be very interesting. I am looking forward to seeing how this shakes out.
