Justin Lawrence

Justin Lawrence

31-Year-Old PitcherRP
Washington Nationals
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Right elbow inflammation limited Lawrence to just 17.1 frames in 2025, but the right-hander was effective in those innings. The 31-year-old posted a win and six holds across 17 appearances with a respectable 0.51 ERA (3.06 SIERA), 0.96 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB. Among pitchers who tossed a minimum of 100 sweepers in 2025, Lawrence produced the 4th-best slugging percentage against (.114) and 8th-best batting average against (.086) for that pitch type. While the sample was small, he threw his sweeper at a 50.0 percent clip last year. If that trend continues, and Lawrence is able to put his elbow injury from 2025 behind him, he could resurface as a potential closer-in-waiting candidate. On the flip side, Lawrence's reliance on two pitches could work against him, especially since his mid-90's sinker hasn't been effective throughout his MLB career. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#366
ADP
Signed a one-year, $1.23 million contract with the Pirates in January of 2026. Traded to the Twins in June of 2026. Claimed off waivers by the Nationals in June of 2026.
Scooped up on waivers by Nationals
PWashington Nationals
June 24, 2026
The Nationals claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Twins on Wednesday.
Analysis
Lawrence has struck out 37 in 28 innings between stints with the Pirates and Twins this season, but he's also walked 21 and posted an 8.04 ERA. He'll aim for more consistency as he joins the Nationals bullpen.
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Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2026 MLB Game Log
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2025 MLB Game Log
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2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
18
Last 10 Games
23
Last 5 Games
24
How many pitches does Justin Lawrence generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Justin Lawrence generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-8%
BAA vs RHP
2026
 
 
-14%
BAA vs RHP
2025
 
 
-16%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-7%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2024vs Left .292 210 35 33 49 9 1 8
Since 2024vs Right .269 283 70 29 65 13 1 9
2026vs Left .294 65 15 11 15 1 1 3
2026vs Right .254 80 22 10 17 6 0 5
2025vs Left .136 30 9 6 3 3 0 0
2025vs Right .162 39 14 2 6 1 0 0
2024vs Left .326 115 11 16 31 5 0 5
2024vs Right .304 164 34 17 42 6 1 4
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-16%
ERA on Road
2026
 
 
-39%
ERA at Home
2025
 
 
-100%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-47%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2024Home 6.41 1.80 53.1 4 4 2 8.3 4.4 1.5
Since 2024Away 5.37 1.54 52.0 1 3 0 9.7 6.2 1.4
2026Home 6.14 1.64 14.2 0 2 0 10.4 4.3 2.5
2026Away 10.13 2.18 13.1 0 1 0 13.5 9.5 2.7
2025Home 0.00 1.00 9.0 1 0 0 8.0 4.0 0.0
2025Away 1.04 0.92 8.2 0 0 0 15.6 4.2 0.0
2024Home 8.49 2.12 29.2 3 2 2 7.3 4.6 1.5
2024Away 4.50 1.43 30.0 1 2 0 6.3 5.4 1.2
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Stat Review
How does Justin Lawrence compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.76
 
K/9
11.9
 
BB/9
6.8
 
HR/9
2.6
 
Fastball
95.6 mph
 
ERA
8.04
 
WHIP
1.89
 
BABIP
.364
 
GB/FB
1.19
 
Left On Base
50.2%
 
Exit Velocity
84.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
6.3%
 
Spin Rate
2592 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
27.5%
 
Swinging Strike
10.4%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Justin Lawrence See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Justin Lawrence See More
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Lawrence's trend of throwing more sweepers continued in 2023, as it's his most successful offering. The 29-year-old held opposing hitters to a .149 batting average and .236 slugging percentage on his sweeper, while 63 of his 78 total strikeouts came on the pitch. In fact, it was the 2nd-best sweeper in the league according to Statcast Run Value (14). On the flip side, Lawrence's mid-90's sinker yielded plenty of contact (.333 BA), with many balls in play hit on the ground (48.5%). Still, Lawrence was reliable enough in the late innings to take over Colorado's closing duties in June. He maintained the role for a little over two months, racking up a career-high 11 saves that were 2nd-most on the team. A rough August (8.31 ERA, 3 BS) relegated Lawrence back to the 7th and 8th innings, but he's a good bet to see save chances again sometime in 2024 as one of the Rockies' best relief pitchers.
More Fantasy News
Pushed off 40-man roster
PMinnesota Twins
June 21, 2026
Minnesota designated Lawrence for assignment Sunday.
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Acquired by Minnesota
PMinnesota Twins
June 1, 2026
The Twins acquired Lawrence from the Pirates on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.
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DFA'd by Pittsburgh
PPittsburgh Pirates
May 29, 2026
Pittsburgh designated Lawrence for assignment Friday.
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Scoreless inning in loss
PPittsburgh Pirates
April 28, 2026
Lawrence tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout Monday in the 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
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Settles with Pittsburgh
PPittsburgh Pirates
January 8, 2026
The Pirates and Lawrence avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.225 million contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be dealt this winter
PColorado Rockies
November 12, 2024
The Rockies are willing to listen to trade offers for Lawrence, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis
Lawrence's 6.49 ERA in 2024 was among the worst in baseball and his 45:33 K:BB over 59.2 frames wasn't pretty, either. However, the reliever's sweeper can be a nasty pitch and it's possible teams would be bullish on how he could fare away from Coors Field. Lawrence, who turns 30 later this month, is under team control through 2028.
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