Nationals Bring in Multiple New Faces During Series Against Phillies
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Prior to Game 2 of the Washington Nationals' road series against the Philadelphia Phillies, they revealed that multiple roster moves had been made.
The Nationals announced that James Wood was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. The team is hoping that it will be a minimal stint on the shelf, but oblique injuries have the tendency to be tricky for baseball players.
But Wood's roster move wasn't the only notable one that was made before Tuesday's contest, as Washington revamped their bullpen and called up one of their prospects for his eventual MLB debut.
Andrew Pinckney Will Make His Major League Debut at Some Point
The 25-year-old former top prospect was added to the major league roster as the corresponding move to Wood going on the IL. It's not clear how much Andrew Pinckney is going to play. As a right-handed hitter, it seems like he will get the majority of reps against lefties. But he wasn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday when they were set to face Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo.
Regardless, Pinckney will make his MLB debut at some point in the near future. And he'll look to continue his strong performance in the minors this year where he has slashed .271/.345/.425 with 13 home runs, 25 extra-base hits and 51 RBIs through 94 games with Triple-A Rochester. However, his strikeout numbers will be something to keep an eye on, as he's been a K machine throughout his career with 473 strikeouts in 397 games played.
Nationals Activate Will Dion, Yovanny Cruz
In the bullpen, the Nationals wasted little time calling upon two of their newest additions.
Prior to Monday's series opener, Washington added right-handed pitcher Yovanny Cruz -- who they acquired as part of the Luis Garcia Jr. return package from the New York Yankees -- to their big league roster. However, he wasn't utilized during that contest, which might have cost the Nationals since their bullpen blew another lead.
Cruz has big-time stuff and should slot right into high-leverage situations for Washington coming down the stretch, which will give Nationals fans a glimpse at someone who might have the best arm on their relief staff.
Cruz wasn't the only one who got the call, though. Left-handed reliever Will Dion was recalled to Washington's MLB roster as the corresponding move following Eddy Yean getting optioned back to Rochester following Monday's game.
Dion, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians as part of the return package for Foster Griffin, has a 4.58 ERA across 12 big league appearances this year. However, he also brings a new element to this bullpen, as he's rung up 25 strikeouts across 19 2/3 innings pitched with just three walks issued.
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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