Nationals claim hard-throwing sidearmer Justin Lawrence off waivers from Twins

The Washington Nationals made a clear bullpen change on June 24, claiming right-handed sidearmer Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The move reflects a franchise-wide emphasis on immediate bullpen performance, as Washington looks for reliable late-inning outs with the season entering a decisive stretch.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Nationals’ decision is part of a broader reshaping of their relief group. Earlier, Washington demoted Paxton Schultz and brought up Carson Palmquist, indicating that management was not satisfied with the current mix and was willing to adjust roles quickly.

Lawrence is the latest piece of that adjustment. Yahoo described him as a hard-throwing veteran who has struggled during the current season, while also noting that he was successful last year. That combination, a pitcher with upside who can still be corrected or re-deployed, is often what waiver claims are built around when a team believes a change of environment or approach could restore effectiveness.

The style matters in Washington’s context. Lawrence is described as a sidearmer, an angle that can disrupt timing for hitters, especially in matchup-based relief. In an organization searching for dependable arms, a delivery that creates a different look can be valuable even when raw results have dipped. The Nationals will likely evaluate whether that release point, combined with his velocity and pitch shape, can translate into more consistent command and better leverage usage.

For Minnesota, placing Lawrence on waivers suggests the Twins were open to moving on to a different relief configuration. Waiver claims like this rarely happen in isolation, because the claiming team must be willing to add the player to its 40-man roster and build a path for him to fit the manager’s plan. For Washington, the immediate objective is simple, stabilize the bullpen enough to avoid outs being surrendered in clusters.

The Nationals’ sequence also provides a window into how rapidly Washington is willing to make roster decisions. Schultz’s demotion for Palmquist indicates a pattern, if one part of the relief corps is not producing at the expected level, there is a willingness to move quickly rather than wait out the problem. Adding Lawrence keeps that approach going, while also expanding the bullpen’s options in terms of arm slot and weaponry.

What to watch next is how Washington deploys Lawrence once the claim is processed and the coaching staff evaluates him in-house. The most telling signs will be whether he can miss bats, limit hard contact, and, just as importantly, whether his control holds up in higher-leverage situations. If he provides even a modest improvement from the results cited for this season, the claim will look like an efficient gamble. If not, it will underscore how hard it is for relievers to regain form once they lose trust in their command.

The broader lesson here is organizational. A waiver claim is not just about filling a spot, it is a statement about what a team believes is fixable, and how urgently it wants improvement. With Washington already making one bullpen move and then going back to the waiver wire, the Nationals appear determined to keep pressing for bullpen reliability as the season progresses.