Sensing a need to bolster their bench and no longer concerned about getting tossed curveballs by the D.C. weather, the Nationals have decided to eschew their eight-man bullpen in favor of a five-man bench. They designated left-hander Enny Romero for assignment Saturday morning, which gives them a seven-man bullpen, with four right-handers and three left-handers.
They recalled infielder Matt Reynolds from Class AAA Syracuse, restoring a full bench and providing outfield depth behind Adam Eaton, who is dealing with shifting scar tissue in his left ankle. Eaton is available off the bench Saturday and expects to play Sunday, but the Nationals are now covered if that changes.
“We had to make a move. We needed a roster spot,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “Tough call. I like Enny a lot … but I think at this point, an extra guy on the bench is going to help a lot.”
[ Trea Turner’s ejection exposes the perils of the Nationals’ short bench ]
The Nationals also placed catcher Miguel Montero on paternity leave, meaning he will be away from the team for up to three days. Jhonatan Solano, who was in Class AAA Syracuse, will fill his spot in the meantime. Montero left Thursday’s game with the Braves early due to a migraine, though that problem was not expected to linger. Solano has not played in a major league game since 2015 with the Marlins.
In designating Romero for assignment, the Nationals cleared a spot on their 40- and 25-man rosters — and probably ended the lefty’s Nationals tenure. He cannot be assigned to the minors without first passing through waivers, and multiple rival evaluators have said they do not believe he will do that. Left-handed relievers with 100 mph fastballs rarely do. They have seven days to take that chance and place him on waivers, and 10 days to trade him.
The Nationals decided to take a chance on Romero last winter. They had their eye on him since the time they traded for Felipe Rivero instead, seeing a similar hard-throwing lefty who just needed to be polished. When they saw a chance to trade for him, and a need in their bullpen, Mike Rizzo pulled the trigger on the deal that sent a non-prospect reliever to the Rays — a low-risk, high-reward deal. But they never could turn Romero into a reliable late-inning option. He never found consistency hitting the strike zone nor throwing good strikes in it. His velocity never dropped from the 100 mph that drew the Nationals to him in the first place. But because he was not always in command, even his 100 mph fastball got hit hard, which rendered him less effective than some pitchers with velocity like that.
[ Brewer: Mike Rizzo should never be allowed to leave the Nationals ]
The Nationals could make the move because they have plenty of left-handed options in the bullpen. Matt Grace has shown himself capable of getting one man at a time and of eating innings. Sammy Solis began the season as a key late-inning option for Martinez and seems likely to continue in that role. Sean Doolittle, the Nationals’ closer, is also left-handed. Most major league bullpens include two left-handers, three at the most, and the Nationals will not be short without Romero in the majors. The 27-year-old pitched to a 3.56 ERA in 57 appearances last season and had allowed three earned runs in two innings this year.
In Reynolds, the Nationals add a pure right-handed hitter who can play everywhere but behind the plate. He gives them depth behind Eaton and provides another late-inning pinch-hit option with some power. Reynolds traveled with the Chiefs from Syracuse to Scranton on Friday and then was told to head to D.C. He hasn’t played a game in about a week, though he said he was working out with the Chiefs for the last few days. Fittingly, Reynolds’s first big league game with the Nationals will come against his former team, the New York Mets, who he felt never gave him the chance he earned with his play. Reynolds is a .228 hitter in 115 major league games, all with New York, but is a .289 career hitter in Class AAA.
[ After disastrous 2017, Mets look like they could give Nationals a fight in NL East ]
WASHINGTON NATIONALS (4-3)
Trea Turner SS
Anthony Rendon 3B
Bryce Harper RF
Ryan Zimmerman 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Michael A. Taylor CF
Brian Goodwin LF
Pedro Severino C
Gio Gonzalez P
NEW YORK METS (5-1)
Asdrubal Cabrera 2B
Yoenis Cespedes LF
Wilmer Flores 1B
Todd Frazier 3B
Travis d’Arnaud C
Jay Bruce RF
Juan Lagares CF
Steven Matz P
Amed Rosario SS
