FredNats to stay affiliated with Washington Nationals

The Fredericksburg Nationals will continue to be affiliated with the Washington Nationals.

The Washington Nationals announced Wednesday that the FredNats will be one of just four of its Minor League Baseball affiliates. The change was part of an overall Major League Baseball new player development structure that led to some Minor League teams losing their affiliations.

The Washington Nationals’ affiliated teams will be as follows:

• • Rochester Red Wings — Triple-A
  • Harrisburg Senators — Double-A
  • Wilmington Blue Rocks — High-A
  • Fredericksburg Nationals — Low-A

Details on what teams will be in what leagues will be announced at a later time. The FredNats, as the closest affiliate to Washington, expect to get rehab appearances of Major League players. Only 55 miles from Nationals Park, the new FredNats stadium served as the Washington Nationals’ Alternate Training Site during the 2020 season.

“Our four affiliates and their proximity to Washington, D.C., will be critical not only to player development and roster construction, but also to our injury rehabilitation process,” Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “We are certain that each affiliate and the surrounding community will be assets to our player development and organization as a whole.”

“We are thrilled to be continuing an incredible and deep relationship with the Washington Nationals that began with their arrival in D.C. back in 2005,” said FredNats Chairman and Owner Art Silber. “We’ve enjoyed watching the Nats’ future stars — like Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg — grow up and develop in front of our fans. The continuation of our long relationship will allow fans throughout the greater Fredericksburg region to enjoy seeing the next stars of the Nationals play in front of their eyes in our new ballpark opening in 2021 in Fredericksburg.”