Nationals add five players to roster

The Washington Nationals today selected shortstop Zach Walters and recalled outfielder Corey Brown, left-handed pitcher Xavier Cedeno, infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus and outfielder Eury Perez from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Walters, 23, joins the Nationals for the first time after hitting .253 with 32 doubles, five triples, 29 home runs and 77 RBI in 134 games for Syracuse in his first full Triple-A campaign. Walters paced Triple-A with 66 extra-base hits, while his 29 home runs tied for the Triple-A lead with Buffalo's Mauro Gomez (his .517 slugging percentage ranked eighth in Triple-A). He was acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis, July 30, 2011. Brown hit 19 home runs en route to batting .254 with 26 doubles, 56 BRI and 40 walks in 107 games for Syracuse in 2013. The 27 year-old Brown returns to Washington, where he hit .200 (5-for-25) with two doubles, a homer (July 28, 2012 at Milwaukee off Randy Wolf) and three RBI in 19 games spanning three stints last season. Cedeno, 27, joins the Nationals for a fourth stint since being claimed off waivers from the Astros on April 23. As a member of the Nationals, Cedeno has worked 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out one, working around a hit and a walk, in two appearances (June 9 vs. Minnesota, Day Game; July 13 at Colorado). He earned a hold by retiring the only batter he faced (Tyler Colvin) in Washington's 5-4 victory on July 13 at Coors Field. Cedeno's most extensive work this season came with the Chiefs (2-0, four saves, 1.31 ERA, 39 appearances). Kobernus, 25, returns for a second stint with the Nationals this season. He went 4-for-23 (.174) with a home run (June 18 at Philadelphia off Cliff Lee), one RBI, three runs scored and four walks in 15 games from with Washington from May 25-June 29. With 42, Kobernus eclipsed the 40-stolen base plateau for a third consecutive season en route to hitting a career-high .318 with 19 doubles, one homer, 36 RBI and 28 walks in 95 International League contests. Kobernus was the Nationals' second-round selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. The 23 year-old Perez hit .300 with 18 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a .336 on-base percentage in 96 games for Syracuse this season. By doing so, he batted .300-plus for a second consecutive campaign (he hit a combined .314 at Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2012). Perez is 1-for-10 during a pair of stints the Nationals the last two years. He posted his first big league hit, a single off Manny Parra, Sept. 24, 2012 vs. Milwaukee. A native of San Luis, Dominican Republic, Perez signed with the Nationals as a non-drafted free agent on April 13, 2007.