Nationals claim shortstop Florimon off waivers from Twins

MIAMI - The Nationals added some organizational depth at shortstop this afternoon, claiming Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Twins.

The 25-year-old Florimon batted .092 (7-for-76) with one RBI in 33 games for the Twins this season and played 85 games at Triple-A Rochester, where he hit 257 with four homers and 29 RBIs. The switch-hitter came up through the Orioles organization before being claimed off waivers by the Twins in December 2011 and is a career .204 hitter with 10 homers and 57 RBIs in 214 games with Baltimore and Minnesota. He's regarded as a good defensive player.

To make room for Florimon on the 40-man roster, speedy outfielder Eury Perez was designated for assignment. Once considered the Nats' center fielder of the future, the 22-year-old Perez had been pushed down the depth chart with the emergence of players like Brian Goodwin and Michael A. Taylor.

Perez hit .154 (2-for-13) with four stolen bases in parts of the 2012 and 2013 seasons for Washington, though he was mainly called on as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement. This year, he battled injuries and hit .310 with two homers, 15 RBIs and 26 stolen bases while playing 67 games at three different levels in the farm system. He spent the most time at Triple-A Syracuse, batting .311 in 57 games.

The Nationals are a little thin at shortstop, and Florimon's major league experience was likely attractive to them. Their starting shortstop at Triple-A this season was Emmanual Burriss, a Washington, D.C., native who batted .300 in 116 games. Jose Lozada and Josh Johnson also played the position for the Chiefs.

Danny Espinosa is the only backup shortstop on the Nationals' 25-man roster, though current second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera has played the position extensively. Cabrera is a pending free agent.