Romero sent home from Nats camp for rules violation

By Pete Kerzel

Nationals

March 05, 2018, 5:09pm

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Seth Romero, the Nationals' first-round pick in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, was sent home from spring training on Monday for violating an unspecified team rule, a Nationals spokesman confirmed.

It is unclear exactly what rule Romero, a 21-year-old left-hander who was taken with the 25th overall selection in the draft, may have violated and how long he will be absent from camp.

Yahoo Sports was first to report that Romero had been sent home from spring training. Romero did not violate any Major League Baseball rules, according to a source.

Romero was recently ranked as the team's fifth-best prospect by both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com.

Once considered a surefire top 10 pick in the draft, Romero was twice suspended from the University of Houston, reinstated, then permanently dismissed from the Cougars in May 2017 for what was termed "conduct detrimental to the team."

Romero slipped to the 25th pick, where the Nationals chose the 6-foot-3, 240-lb. southpaw with three plus pitches despite concerns about his makeup. He signed for $2.8 million, slightly more than the $2,530,400 assigned to his 25th overall slot.

Romero appeared in six games for short-season Single-A Auburn last summer and made one appearance for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals. In seven starts, he went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA, walking eight and fanning 35 in 22 innings.

He was one of the 26 pitchers the Nationals had invited to early camp.