In a move that flew under our radar last month, the Nationals re-signed first baseman/outfielder Travis Blankenhorn to a minor league contract, according to Blankenhorn’s MLB.com profile page. The Nats outrighted Blankenhorn off their 40-man roster in October, and he chose to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, as is his right as a player who has previously been outrighted off a 40-man roster during his career.
Blankenhorn signed a minors deal with Washington last winter and spent most of 2023 at the Triple-A level, where he hit an impressive .262/.360/.517 and 23 homers over 455 plate appearances for the Rochester Red Wings. He didn’t receive a callup to the big league roster until the start of September, and he amassed 37 PA over 10 games for the Nationals before his season was prematurely ended by a bout of plantar fasciitis.
Originally a third-round pick for the Twins in the 2015 draft, Blankenhorn made his MLB debut in 2020 by appearing in a single game for Minnesota. He also made a one-game cameo in the 2022 season with the Mets, and overall, the 27-year-old has 36 games and 68 PA as a big leaguer with Washington, New York, and Minnesota. Over 1053 career PA at Triple-A, Blankenhorn has hit .261/.353/.485 with 48 home runs.
The bulk of Blankenhorn’s minor league playing time has come as a second and third baseman, though he hasn’t played the hot corner at any level since 2019, and he played only as a first baseman and corner outfielder in 2023. That still gives him a fair amount of defensive versatility, and Blankenhorn’s left-handed bat makes him an interesting possible depth complement since Joey Meneses, Stone Garrett, and Lane Thomas are all right-handed hitters. An injury or trade might be required for Blankenhorn to really get an opportunity on the Nationals’ active roster, but he’ll return to the organization as a familiar depth piece for Rochester’s team.