Nationals acquire right-handed pitcher Ryne Harper

By Doug Miller

Nationals

January 29, 2020, 8:57am

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The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Ryne Harper from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-handed pitcher Hunter McMahon on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Harper, 30, went 4-2 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in his first Major League season in 2019. He struck out 50 batters and issued 10 walks in 61 appearances out of Minnesota's bullpen.

Harper started his rookie campaign in a strong fashion, offering scoreless relief in 17 of his first 18 appearances while pitching to a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) from March 31 through May 18. He was particularly strong in the month of May, when he posted a 0.84 ERA (1 ER/10.2 IP) with 12 strikeouts in 11 outings. Opposing batters hit .158 (6-for-38) with one double during the month.

Prior to making his Major League debut on March 31 vs. Cleveland, Harper went 29-24 with 35 saves and a 2.54 ERA in 296 games across nine Minor League seasons with Minnesota (2018-19), Seattle (2016-17) and Atlanta (2011-15). The Atlanta Braves originally selected him in the 37^th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Austin Peay (TX) State University.

McMahon, 21, went 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA in nine games in 2019 - his first professional season. Washington selected him in the ninth round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas State University.

Washington now has 40 players on its 40-man roster.