The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
- Selected the contract of catcher Israel Pineda from Triple-A Rochester
- Recalled right-handed pitcher Jordan Weems from Triple-A Rochester
- Placed catcher Keibert Ruiz on the 10-day Injured List with a testicular contusion
- Designated left-handed pitcher Jake McGee for assignment
Pineda, 22, hit .258 with 20 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 71 RBI, 36 walks, three stolen bases and 49 runs scored in 99 games between High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He ranked among Nationals Minor Leaguers in RBI (2nd, 71), home runs (5th, 16), slugging percentage (5th, .458), extra-base hits (6th, 38) and OPS (8th, .783) this season.
Washington’s No. 23 prospect by Baseball America and No. 26 per MLBPipeline.com, Pineda has recorded a .429 slugging percentage with 31 doubles, two triples and 30 home runs in 175 games since the start of the 2021 season.
Pineda signed with the Nationals on July 2, 2016 out of Maracay, Venezuela. With his debut, he will become the third member of Washington’s 2016 international class to appear in the Major Leagues, joining right-handed pitcher Joan Adon and infielder Luis García.
Weems, 29, returns for his third stint with the Nationals after tossing 10.0 scoreless innings and going 5-for-5 in save opportunities across his last eight games with Triple-A Rochester. He allowed just two hits (.067 opp. AVG) with 10 strikeouts and four walks over this stretch.
Ruiz, 24, hit .251 with 22 doubles, seven homers, 36 RBI, 30 walks, six stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 112 games for the Nationals in 2022.
McGee, 36, appeared in 12 games out of Washington’s bullpen, going 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA.