Lerner also announced that assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo has been named as Rizzo's replacement on an interim basis. DeBartolo will immediately be tasked with running the draft room for next week's MLB Draft, in which the Nationals have the top pick.

Martinez had never been a manager at any level when Rizzo hired him to replace Dusty Baker before the 2018 season. The Nationals went 82-80 in Martinez’s first season and got off to a 19-31 start the following year, leading to some calls for him to be replaced.

"The fans are frustrated. We're all frustrated," DeBartolo said. "We have a lot of interesting, exciting young pieces to build on."