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Nationals Select Luis Avilan’s Contract, Designate Dakota Bacus

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Left-hander Luis Avilan has made the Nationals’ roster, manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including The Athletic’s Maria Torres and Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com).  To create 40-man space for Avilan, the Nats have designated righty Dakota Bacus for assignment.  Right-hander Rogelio Armenteros and left-hander Seth Romero were also optioned to Triple-A as Washington continues to pare down its roster.

A veteran of nine big league seasons, Avilan is now in position to officially suit up for his seventh different team.  The southpaw was a reliable bullpen arm for the Braves and Dodgers from 2012-17, though he has run into increasing problems as his soft contact percentages, and home run rates have wrong directions over the last three seasons.  After posting a 6.3% homer rate in his first seven seasons, Avilan’s number jumped to 18.5% over 32 innings with the Mets in 2019 and then 22.2% in his brief 8 1/3 inning-stint with the Yankees last season.

Avilan was hampered by some shoulder problems in 2020, so it’s certainly possible that he’ll regain his old effectiveness with better health in the Washington bullpen.  Avilan and closer Brad Hand are the only lefty relievers projected to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster, as fellow 40-man roster members Romero and Sam Clay look to begin the season at Triple-A.  (T.J. McFarland was also in camp on a minor league deal but was released yesterday.)

Bacus made his big league debut in 2020, posting a 7.94 ERA over 11 1/3 relief innings for the Nationals before his rookie season was cut short by a flexor strain.  Originally acquired from the A’s in the Kurt Suzuki trade of August 2013, Bacus is a groundball specialist who posted a 3.53 ERA and 19.56% strikeout rate over 609 2/3 career minor league innings, converting into a full-time relief role during the 2016 season.

Nationals Select Paolo Espino

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The Nationals have selected right-hander Paolo Espino, placed righties Aaron Barrett (triceps strain) and James Bourque (elbow strain) on the 10-day injured list, and moved lefty Seth Romero to the 45-day IL, the team announced. The Nats also recalled outfielder Yadiel Hernandez.

Espino, 33, could now log major league action for the first time since 2017 – his only season in the majors thus far. He posted a 6.00 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.75 BB/9 in 24 innings between the Brewers and Rangers then, but divided the previous two years among the Triple-A affiliates of those teams and the Nationals. Overall, he has recorded a 4.21 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 657 2/3 innings at the minors’ highest level.

Injuries have been an unfortunate part of the package for Barrett, a ninth-round pick of the Nationals in 2010 who was an effective part of their bullpen from 2014-15. Barrett underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, though, and also suffered a fractured elbow. He made his return to the majors late last season, but the 32-year-old has only combined for four innings of six-run ball since then.

Stephen Strasburg Undergoes Carpal Tunnel Surgery

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Stephen Strasburg underwent surgery to alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome in his right hand earlier today, Nationals manager Dave Martinez tells reporters (Twitter link via Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington). Surgery was already known to be in store for Strasburg, who was placed on the 45-day injured list over the weekend. He’ll be out for the remainder of the 2020 season. The team has yet to provide a timeline for his recovery, though the hope is that he’ll be ready to go in 2021.

The 32-year-old Strasburg appeared in just two games this year and has otherwise been shelved by ongoing issues in his right hand. He was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome a bit more than a week ago and, after visiting with a specialist late last week, made the decision on Saturday to undergo surgery.

The absence of Strasburg has surely played a role in a pedestrian season for the Nats, who currently sit at 11-16, placing them last in the National League East. Washington, of course, famously rallied from a dismal start to the 2019 season as well, but if they’re to enjoy a similar Cinderella tale in 2020, they’ll need to do so without the help of last year’s World Series MVP.

With Strasburg sidelined, the Nats have been leaning on a combination of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde as their primary starters. Scherzer has had some uncharacteristic struggles but still posted passable results, but each of Sanchez (6.48 ERA), Voth (6.65) and Fedde (5.11) has struggled considerably. There’s no indication yet as to how the Nats plan to proceed at this year’s Aug. 31 trade deadline, but considering the fact that virtually the entire National League (Pittsburgh excluded) is within two and a half games of a Wild Card spot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Washington pursue some affordable rotation upgrades — both to bolster its hopes in 2020 and perhaps to reinforce the staff in subsequent campaigns.

Martinez also revealed Wednesday that lefty Seth Romero, the Nationals’ first-round pick from 2017 who made his MLB debut earlier this year, will undergo surgery to place a pin his fractured right hand (Twitter link via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). Martinez explained recently that Romero suffered the fracture when he slipped on some stairs and braced for the fall with his right hand. While it’s fortunate for his long-term outlook that the injury wasn’t in his pitching hand, the procedure seems likely to end Romero’s season.

The 24-year-old Romero allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings over three appearances in his first taste of the Majors. He’d missed much of the 2018 season and all of the 2019 season due to an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. To this point, Romero has still thrown only 50 professional innings.

Nationals Promote Seth Romero, Place Sean Doolittle On IL

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The Nationals have selected the contract of pitching prospect Seth Romero. Veteran reliever Sean Doolittle was moved to the 10-day injured list with right knee fatigue.

This isn’t quite how the Nats hoped things to shake out early, but the team’s supply of southpaw relievers has now been exhausted. The team placed Sam Freeman on the IL earlier today.

Details of Doolittle’s injury aren’t yet known. The placement surely also reflects his difficulties on the mound. He has made it through three total innings in five appearances, coughing up five earned runs while recording only two strikeouts. Doolittle’s velocity has fallen off a cliff, declining three full ticks on average versus 2019.

When the Nats picked Romero in the first round of the 2017 draft, there were whispers that the team might speed him through the system for a near-term relief role. It took some time, and required a few ups and downs but he’s now headed to the majors to work out of the pen.

Romero has averaged 13.1 K/9 in the minors, but that’s in a minimal sample of 47 1/3 innings. His 2019 campaign was wiped out entirely by Tommy John surgery, though that’s now nearly two years in the rearview mirror.

In the long run, the hope surely remains that Romero will turn into a rotation piece. For now, the Nationals need to address the immediate need and will give him a shot to carve out a place on the pitching staff.

Nationals’ Seth Romero Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Nationals prospect Seth Romero underwent Tommy John surgery last week, as first reported by Todd Dybas of TheSportsCapitol.com. Washington’s first-round draft selection in 2017, Romero made just seven starts this season , with his last outing coming back on Aug. 16. Given the timing of the surgery, Romero figures to miss all of the 2019 season. The 22-year-old posted a 3.91 ERA with a 34-to-8 K/BB ratio, three homers allowed and a 43.5 percent ground-ball rate in 25 1/3 frames for the Nats’ Class-A affiliate in 2018.

Romero is typically regarded as one of the Nats’ seven best prospects, though in addition to now being faced with the recovery from a major surgery, he’s drawn questions regarding his makeup. Romero was kicked off the University of Houston baseball team prior to the MLB draft in 2017 following multiple violations of team rules, reportedly including a failed drug test and a physical altercation with a teammate. Adding onto that, Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote when ranking the Nationals’ prospects back in March — Romero placed fifth — that the lefty was sent home from Spring Training due to curfew violations.

Just about any scouting report on Romero will tout his plus fastball and a potentially plus slider, and his changeup draws some potentially above-average ratings as well. Baseball Prospectus even slotted Romero in as the game’s No. 76 prospect prior to the current season. He placed sixth among Washington prospects on Baseball America’s midseason re-ranking of the system, while MLB.com currently has him seventh.

Nationals Notes: Harper, Vuckovich, Romero

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Bryce Harper is slowly progressing toward a return to the Nationals, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Harper ran the bases lightly on Tuesday, fielded some grounders and also hit in a simulated game against Nationals minor leaguers Brigham Hill and Sterling Sharp (no, not that Sterling Sharpe). Both manager Dusty Baker and GM Mike Rizzo were cautiously optimistic about Harper’s progress, with the latter stating that it’s “conceivable” that the former NL MVP could return to the team before the conclusion of the regular season. Baker suggested that another simulated game could be in store for Harper this week, though the Nats will closely monitor how Harper responds to yesterday’s workout today. Janes also provides updates on Stephen Drew and Brian Goodwin, though neither appears as close to returning as Harper.

More on the Nats…

  • The Post’s Jorge Castillo, meanwhile, reports that the Nationals have hired former American League Cy Young winner Pete Vuckovich as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo (Twitter link). Vuckovich has previously held special assistant roles in the Pirates’ front office and the Mariners’ front office, and Castillo notes that he’s spent the past couple of seasons working as a pro scout in the Diamondbacks organization. Vuckovich spent parts of 11 seasons pitching for the Brewers, Cardinals, White Sox and Blue Jays.
  • In a second column, Janes examines the Nationals’ selection of left-hander Seth Romero with the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft, noting that his off-field issues make the selection a departure from the norm for the team. Washington typically stays away from players with off-field issues, and Romero had plenty heading into the draft, having been kicked off the University of Houston team after receiving a pair of suspensions (the latter of the two, reportedly, for failing a drug test and being photographed in uniform holding a bong). Assistant GM Doug Harris, though, tells Janes that the Nats aren’t treating Romero any differently than the rest of their prospects. “He’s going to be given a chance like any other player to come in here and let us know who he is,” says Harris, later adding that Romero hasn’t had any issues in his first few months with the club. Romero himself tells Janes that he considers those problems to be behind him and is working to distance himself from that perception.

Nationals To Sign First-Rounder Seth Romero

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The Nationals have finalized a deal with first-rounder Seth Romero, who has passed his physical and officially signed a contract, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter links). He’ll take home a $2.8MM bonus that comes in a bit above his $2,530,400 draft slot, Heyman adds. Romero was advised by and is now represented by agent Scott Boras.

A left-handed pitcher out of the University of Houston, Romero would likely have gone higher in the draft than the 25th overall selection (where Washington took him) had it not been for significant makeup concerns. Romero was kicked off the team in Houston a month before the draft after repeated off-field incidents, including a failed drug test, a physical altercation with one of his teammates and being photographed holding a bong in full uniform, per a separate pair of reports from the Houston Chronicle’s Joseph Duarte.

Romero ranked 24th on MLB.com’s list of the top 200 draft prospects, while Baseball America ranked him 27th on their top 500, Fangraphs ranked him 36th and ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him 59th. The aforementioned makeup issues factored into each of those rankings, as BA and Law both called him a top 10 talent based purely on his pitching acumen. Romero’s fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range and reaches 97, and the pitch is complemented by a plus slider and potentially above-average changeup. BA also notes that he’s advanced enough to help out a big league bullpen later this year, though the Nats told reporters after the draft that they view Romero as a starter.

Nationals Rumors: Bullpen, Holland, Solis, Fedde, Romero

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The Nationals’ terrible results from the bullpen have been frustrating fans all season, and it’s begun to take a toll on the clubhouse as well, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. Svrluga quotes unnamed Nationals players that are exasperated by the persistently blown leads, quoting one who states, “We feel like we have to win the game three times.” As has been reported on multiple occasions in the past, Svrluga writes that Nationals ownership vetoed a trade that would have netted the Nats David Robertson from the White Sox this offseason. However, Svrluga now reports that GM Mike Rizzo also had an agreement in place with current Rockies closer Greg Holland, only for the Lerner family to once again step in and nix that deal. (FanRag’s Jon Heyman previously reported that ownership balked at the concept of a vesting player option for Holland, though Svrluga is seemingly the first mention of an actual agreement that fell through.) The bullpen will assuredly be Rizzo’s prime target in trades this summer, though reports suggest that he certainly tried to be proactive in addressing the matter this winter but wasn’t granted the freedom to do so.

More on the NL East division leaders…

  • Manager Dusty Baker tells reporters that left-handed reliever Sammy Solis threw a lengthy bullpen session and also pitched a simulated game this week (Twitter link via the Post’s Chelsea Janes). The Nats, though, appear to be taking a cautious route with the 28-year-old, as Baker wouldn’t yet commit to a minor league rehab assignment. Solis tossed 62 1/3 innings of 2.74 ERA ball from 2015-16 with the Nats and averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings last year, but he’s been limited to just 4 1/3 frames in 2017 thanks to inflammation in his left elbow.
  • Janes also tweets that top prospect Erick Fedde has been promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. The former first-rounder is viewed as a starter by the Nationals in the long-term but was moved to a bullpen role earlier this year in order to help manage his innings and to allow him to surface as a potential midseason option in relief. Through 56 1/3 innings in Double-A Harrisburg, Fedde posted a 3.04 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 50.7 percent ground-ball rate.
  • While there’s been speculation that the Nationals could put 2017 first-round pick Seth Romero in the bullpen in an effort to fast-track him to the Majors in 2017, GM Mike Rizzo says the team views Romero as a starter, according to MLB.com’s Jamal Collier. Rizzo has never had a player reach the Majors the same year he was drafted, though he didn’t firmly rule it out as a possibility in Romero’s case. “We’re going to develop him at his own pace and utilize our strong player development system,” the GM told reporters. “And hopefully he’s a guy for us down the road.” Romero was considered a possible top 10 pick but slipped in the draft due to makeup concerns after he was kicked off the University of Houston’s team this season despite being its top pitcher in terms of performance. The Houston Chronicle’s Joseph Duarte has reported that Romero failed a drug test in 2016 (one of multiple recreational drug-related incidents) and was finally dismissed from the team this season after getting into a fight with one of his teammates. Romero had previously been suspended by the Cougars on two separate occasions prior to the physical altercation.
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