Nationals Reassign Warming Bernabel to Minor-League Camp After Spring Audition

RotoWire reported on March 4, 2026 that Warming Bernabel was reassigned to minor-league camp after a brief spring audition. "The Nationals reassigned Bernabel to minor-league camp Wednesday," the outlet noted after Bernabel's five-game run in the Grapefruit League.

Bernabel joined Washington on a minor-league contract this winter after electing free agency. MLBTR reported the agreement Dec. 19, 2025 and credited Mike Rodriguez with first reporting the pact; the official MiLB and MLB transaction logs show the Nationals signed Bernabel and on Dec. 20, 2025 assigned him to the Rochester Red Wings.

His spring line was small but tidy: RotoWire and CBS Sports both recorded that he went "3-for-9 with a walk and no strikeouts over his first five Grapefruit League games." That work was part of a short audition tied to the invite included in his minor-league deal and big-league camp access.

Bernabel comes to Washington after a 2025 big-league cup of coffee with the Colorado Rockies. "The Rockies also gave him 146 big league plate appearances, with Bernabel slashing .252/.288/.410 for a 78 wRC+," MLBTR reported; RotoWire summarized the same sample as a ".698 OPS in 146 plate appearances." Colorado removed him from the 40-man roster in the offseason before outrighting him, and he elected free agency on Dec. 7, 2025.

His minor-league track record is split by level. MLBTR notes that "By the end of 2022, he had climbed as high as High-A and taken 830 trips to the plate in his minor league career. He only struck out 13.4% of the time but also only drew walks at a 7.1% clip. This led to a combined line of .295/.355/.470 and a 115 wRC+." MLBTR adds that "From 2023 to 2025, he slashed .265/.308/.385 in the minors for an 84 wRC+," reflecting a drop as he climbed the ladder.

Bernabel’s recent transaction history includes Colorado selecting his contract July 26, 2025, a Sept. 9, 2025 placement on the 7-day injured list with a concussion and activation Sept. 24, 2025, followed by an outright Dec. 6 and free-agency election Dec. 7. The Nationals' Dec. 20 assignment to Rochester and the March 4 reassignment back to minor-league camp close that initial chapter in Washington.

Organizational context played into the outcome. RotoWire observed that "Though Washington is heading into 2026 without an established everyday option at first base, Bernabel apparently didn't make a compelling enough of a case for a spot on the Opening Day roster…" MLBTR noted Bernabel "has experience at both infield corners" and detailed roster-control upside: he is still young, has less than a year of service time, and "won’t take up a roster spot for now."

RotoWire projects a clear path for him at Triple-A: "Bernabel should be in line for an everyday role in the corner infield at Triple-A Rochester to begin the season." The MiLB transaction log already lists him with Rochester on Dec. 20, 2025, and that assignment will be the immediate test of whether the contact-oriented profile that produced success in the low minors can be rebuilt into a Major League-ready bat. RotoWire’s page includes a Warming Bernabel headshot as the visual asset for the reassignment story.