Nationals Designate Stone Garrett For Assignment

The Nationals announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Stone Garrett for assignment. His roster spot goes to righty Kyle Finnegan, whose one-year deal to return to the Nationals is now official.

Garrett, 29, has appeared in parts of three big league seasons between the Nats and D-backs. He’s a lifetime .276/.341/.492 hitter in the majors, good for 25% better than average at the plate, by measure of wRC+. However, that production has been buoyed by a hefty .369 average on balls in play that’s not going to be sustained over a larger sample than Garrett’s 361 MLB plate appearances. He’s also fanned in 30.2% of his career plate appearances, leading to further questions about his ability to sustain his level of output.

Garrett also saw only six big league plate appearances in 2024, spending the rest of the season in Triple-A with a disappointing .249/.348/.333 slash. That lack of production is likely attributable — to at least some extent — to left ankle/leg surgery performed in Aug. 2023. Garrett sustained fractures in his fibula and ankle when chasing down a fly-ball and crashing into the wall at Yankee Stadium. He spent eight-plus months recovering from that gruesome injury.

The strikeout issues Garrett has faced have plagued him against righties and lefties alike. However, Garrett has shown considerably more power against southpaws. With a 30.8% strikeout rate and .362 BABIP against lefties, he’s not going to sustain his .279/.333/.541 output against them. That huge .262 ISO against southpaws should be enough to make him a viable platoon candidate, even if his average and OBP are ticketed for decline. The Nats already have a full outfield with James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews, though, and righty-swinging Alex Call is a similar platoon fourth outfielder with roughly half the strikeout rate and better defensive skills.

While Garrett has some notable red flags, he’s still an optionable corner outfielder with genuine power against lefties. That’s a skill set that could fit him into the bench mix for plenty of clubs. He’s coming off a down year, but teams might take an optimistic outlook now that he’s 18 months removed from that devastating injury. The Nats will have five days to trade Garrett, and if they don’t have a deal in place at that point he’ll be placed on outright waivers and learn whether he’s been claimed or cleared 48 hours later.