Nationals’ DJ Herz begins long comeback track in Florida Complex League appearance

What the Nationals can confirm on the field this week is the start of a process that has been waiting for a long time. Left-hander DJ Herz threw two scoreless innings Friday in the Florida Complex League, a first step back after surgery and an extended absence from game action.

Herz’s timeline has been shaped by Tommy John surgery performed at the beginning of the 2025 season. According to the Nationals notes reported this week, Friday marked his first game activity in two years, and the outing was framed as the opening portion of what is expected to be more than a month-long buildup toward higher-level competition. For pitchers, that kind of runway usually matters as much as the total workload, since teams aim to restore command, consistency, and stamina in a controlled sequence rather than rush innings.

The setting also matters. The Florida Complex League is a development environment, and rehab assignments there often function as a bridge between medical milestones and the demands of regular-season minor league hitters. Herz’s two scoreless innings, while not a full evaluation by themselves, provide a baseline for how the arm is behaving under game conditions. The next decisions, typically, are whether his pitch locations hold up as the work increases and whether the coaching staff can progress him without setbacks.

Alongside Herz, the Nationals notes discussed additional items involving other players at the organization level. The report groups several names, indicating that Washington has been tracking multiple moving parts within its pitching and depth plans. However, the specific on-field results and timelines for those other players are not detailed in the portion available here, so it is more accurate to treat the broader roundup as a sign of continued internal progress rather than draw conclusions about immediate promotions.

The broader roster context for Washington is that the club has been working through the common summer challenge of balancing present organizational needs with the long-term health and development of players returning from significant procedures. Tommy John comebacks can vary widely, even for pitchers with strong medical and rehabilitation history, so early rehab innings are best viewed as confirmation of tolerance, not a guarantee of future effectiveness.

There is also an organizational acquisition thread in the same roundup. Herz was listed as having been acquired from the Cubs, placing his return into the Nationals’ larger investment picture. For a rebuilding or retooling club, the ability to convert that kind of acquisition into sustained major league pitching value depends on precisely these months of careful buildup, not just the headline moment of a first rehab outing.

For fans and evaluators, what to watch next is simple but specific. Look for whether Herz’s workload increases in a stepwise way, whether his pitch usage shows comfort and control, and whether the Nationals keep him on a predictable progression instead of pausing due to arm fatigue or command issues. If he continues to throw clean innings in successive assignments, the Nationals will likely be able to advance him deeper into the minor league ladder as the summer continues. If there is any disruption, it will almost certainly be reflected in the pacing of his next outings and the length of the buildup.

In the meantime, Friday’s appearance gives Washington at least one concrete data point as it manages a return from a major operation. Herz’s two scoreless frames do not end the story, but they do begin the next chapter, with the Nationals now able to build forward based on repeatable results rather than waiting for a future that has been out of reach since the 2025 surgery.