Nationals Give Themselves Another Bullpen Option With Latest Waiver Claim
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It seems clear the front office of the Washington Nationals is not content with their pitching options at this stage of the season.
While the bullpen showed some improvement the last series against the New York Mets with just one earned run allowed across three games, that unit remains one of the worst in the majors. The Nationals continue to search for the best group to have on their roster, and that recently resulted in veteran Cionel Perez being outrighted to Triple-A Rochester while Orlando Ribalta was recalled.
Now, Washington has made another addition. Per an announcement from the team, they revealed that right-handed pitcher Zak Kent was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
Who Is Zak Kent?
Kent is a former ninth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 2019 MLB Draft. He worked his way up their pipeline until 2024 when he was traded to the Cleveland Guardians ahead of that campaign. Kent made his major league debut with the Guardians the following year, appearing in 12 games and recording an ERA of 4.58 with 16 strikeouts and eight walks across 17 2/3 innings pitched.
Despite a solid showing for Cleveland, they designated him for assignment this past winter. That started a chain of DFA's and waiver claims until he ended up with the Twins at the start of this season. He only appeared in two games and allowed two earned runs across 5 2/3 innings pitched before he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Nationals.
Kent is mainly a four-seam fastball and slider thrower. While he does have a curveball he mixes in every once in a while, he uses the four-seamer and slider as his two primary pitches. He doesn't throw the ball hard, with his fastball average velocity sitting at 91 mph. So he'll need to have strong command if he's going to be effective in the bigs.
How Zak Kent Fits Into Picture for Nationals
The 28-year-old likely has been added as a depth piece for the Rochester team. Because Ribalta is now up with the major league squad, bringing in another right-hander with established Triple-A and MLB experience is a good way to backfill that opening.
Barring a huge rash of injuries or a steep drop in production from multiple righties, there's a good chance Kent won't see the field for the Nationals. He doesn't have an electric arm and he hasn't had a ton of success across his 14 big league outings. But this is still a solid addition for Washington since they have at least given themself another relief option to use as needed.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai