Nationals announce 2023 non-roster invitees

The Washington Nationals announced their 2023 non-roster invitees on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Adams, 34, returns to the Nationals where he hit 38 home runs and 104 RBI in 205 games across two seasons (2018-19). The power-hitting left-hander spent the 2022 season with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association. He ranked among league hitters in RBI (3^rd, 85) and home runs (T4^th, 27) in 80 games.

Antuna, 23, led Washington’s system with 89 walks and ranked in runs scored (4th, 75), stolen bases (6th, 27) and on-base percentage (6th, .352) in 2022.

Baldonado, 30, posted a 3.84 ERA and set career marks in strikeouts (81), games (56) and innings pitched (63.1) while spending the entire 2022 season with Triple-A Rochester. He made his Major League debut with Washington in 2021 after 11 Minor League seasons.

Banda, 29, went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in a career-high 32 games between Pittsburgh, Toronto and New York (AL) in 2022.

Blankenhorn, 26, spent the majority of the 2022 season with Triple-A Syracuse. He hit .267 with 20 doubles, 15 homers, 55 RBI, 32 walks, 10 stolen bases and 44 runs scored in 91 games. He was named International League Player of the Month in June and appeared in one Major League game with New York (NL), July 22 vs. San Diego.

Brzykcy, 23, will take part in his first Major League Spring Training after going undrafted in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. He ranked among all Minor League pitchers (min 59.0 IP) in opponents’ batting average (5th, .157), ERA (8th, 1.76) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (14th, 13.94) in 2022. He was the only player in Minor League Baseball with at least 14 saves and at least seven wins. His 14 saves ranked second in Washington’s Minor League system.

Carrillo, 24, went 2-1 with a 6.94 ERA in 21 games between three levels of Washington’s system in 2022. He struck out 28 batters in 23.1 innings pitched.

Casey, 27, hit .216 with 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 29 RBI, 22 walks, six stolen bases and 36 runs scored in 84 games with Triple-A Rochester. He was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on April 15 but did not appear in a game before being optioned on April 20.

Castro, 27, posted 11.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and a 3.31 ERA in 47 Minor League relief appearances over the last two seasons. He enjoyed five Major League stints with Cleveland in 2022, posting a 7.43 ERA in 12 games.

Chavis, 27, collected a career-high 92 hits in a career-high 129 games with Pittsburgh in 2022. His 14 home runs were his most since he clubbed 18 during his rookie season in 2019 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. 

Colomé, 34, enters 2023 ranked seventh among active players with 159 career saves. He spent the 2022 season with Colorado, where he started strong, going 2-2 with four saves and a 2.86 ERA in 36 appearances in the first half of the season.

Doolittle, 36, returns to the Nationals after his 2022 season ended in late April. He retired the first 15 batters he faced in 2022 before allowing a double on April 19 vs. Arizona (Beer). It was the longest streak by a reliever to start this season. It was the only hit he allowed before undergoing an internal brace procedure on his left elbow at the end of April, ending his season.

Fox, 25, made his first Opening Day roster in 2022 and made his Major League debut on April 10 vs. New York (NL). He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Rochester, hitting .228 with seven doubles, two triples, four homers, 25 RBI, 22 walks, 12 stolen bases and 28 runs scored in 55 games played.

Harris, 29, ranks ninth among Minor League relievers (min. 95.0 IP) with a .176 opponents’ batting average in 95 games across the last two seasons. He is 9-5 with 16 saves, a 2.89 ERA and 10.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings over this stretch. He enjoyed his best professional season in 2022, leading International League pitchers (min. 50.0 IP) and ranking second in Milwaukee’s Minor League system in ERA (2.04) and opponents’ batting average (.164).

Hernandez, 35, returns for his seventh season in Washington’s organization. He hit .269 with 16 doubles, nine homers, 41 RBI, 19 walks and 30 runs scored in 94 games for the Nationals last season.

Hill, 27, played parts of three Major League seasons (2020-22) with the Detroit Tigers before joining the Mariners organization late in the 2022 season. He’s hit .240 with five doubles, three triples, four homers, 17 RBI, 16 walks, nine stolen bases and 30 runs scored in 95 career Major League games.

Kuhl, 30, is 31-41 with a 4.74 ERA in 127 games (111 starts) across six Major League seasons with Colorado (2022) and Pittsburgh (2016-21). He began the 2022 season 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA (6 ER/29.2 IP) through his first five starts. The 1.82 ERA was the lowest by a Rockies starter to begin a season (through five starts) since Ubaldo Jiménez (0.79 ERA in 2010). On June 27 vs. Los Angeles (NL), he tossed his first career shutout.

Lee, 24, made his Major League debut in 2022. He went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four games (one start) before being placed on the Injured List on June 18 with a left elbow flexor strain.

Lindsly, 26, will take part in his first Major League Spring Training after being selected in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma where he was teammates with Cade Cavalli and Jake Irvin.

Machado, 29, ranked fourth in the National League (T8th in MLB) with 16.0% inherited runners scored (4-of-25) in 2022 (min. 25 IR). He did not allow an earned run from Aug. 3 through the end of the season (19.2 IP, 6 unearned runs). In a career-high 51 games, Machado went 2-0 with a 3.34 ERA.

Mejia, 28, set career marks with 29 doubles and 15 home runs in 120 games with Triple-A Tacoma (SEA) in 2022. He has appeared in 17 Major League games across two seasons (2019-20) with Kansas City.

Millas, 24, hit .225 with 14 doubles, two triples, six homers, 36 RBI, 51 walks, eight stolen bases and 40 runs scored in 87 games between three levels of Washington’s Minor League system in 2022. He posted a strong Arizona Fall League seasons for Peoria, hitting .305 with five doubles, two homers, 13 RBI, three walks, one stolen base and six runs scored in 15 games.

Peralta, 33, pitched to a 0.81 ERA (2 ER/22.1 IP) with a .192 opponents' batting average across his first 14 outings of the 2022 season as a member of the Detroit Tigers. He spent the previous two seasons (2021-22) with Detroit, going 6-5 with a 2.93 ERA in 47 games (19 starts).

Pérez, 25, enjoyed three Major League stints with Washington in 2022. He posted a 7.27 ERA in 10 Major League outings. He went 1-3 with a 4.82 ERA and 11.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 45 games with Triple-A Rochester.

Romero, 25, combined to go 9-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 29 Minor League games (15 starts) between Tampa’s and Washington’s systems in 2022. He made his Major League debut with Tampa on April 12 vs. Oakland and made one start with Washington, Oct. 10 vs. Philadelphia.

Tetreault, 26, made his Major League debut in 2022, going 2-2 with a 5.14 ERA in four Major League starts. At the time of his promotion, he ranked among Nationals Minor Leaguers in innings pitched (1st, 58.0), starts (1st, 12), strikeouts (T2nd, 52), wins (T2nd, 5), ERA (3rd, 4.19), opponents’ batting average (3rd, .231) and WHIP (4th, 1.29).

Valera, 23, was one of only four players in all of Minor League Baseball to steal at least 30 bases with no more than one caught stealing last season. He ranked among Dodgers Minor Leaguers in stolen bases (2nd, 33), triples (T3rd, 7), RBI (6th, 83) and hits (T7th, 124). Valera set career marks in nearly every offensive category, including a career-high 18 home runs, in 130 games between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa.