Nationals re-sign Jeremy Hellickson

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and designated Trevor Gott for assignment on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Hellickson, 31, returns to Washington after going 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 19 starts for the Nationals in 2018. He recorded a career-best WHIP (1.073), and issued just two walks per 9.0 innings, his lowest mark since his rookie season of 2010. Hellickson surrendered just 20 walks, the fewest among Major League pitchers with at least 19 starts, while his 11 home runs allowed were seventh-fewest in the National League (min. 19 GS).

Hellickson provided stability to Washington's rotation, starting the season 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA (11 ER/43.0 IP) in eight starts from April 16 to May 29. He struck out 34 batters against just six walks and posted a 0.93 WHIP during this stretch. He suffered a right hamstring strain on June 3 at Atlanta and at the time of his injury, he ranked among National League pitchers (min. 8 GS) in WHIP (2nd, 0.93), walks per 9.0 IP (2nd, 1.26), SO/BB ratio (6th, 5.67) and ERA (8th, 2.30).

A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Hellickson is 74-72 with a 4.07 ERA in 223 career games (216 starts). Hellickson has made more than 27 starts in six of his nine Major League seasons.

Gott, 26, appeared in 20 games out of Washington's bullpen in 2018, securing two holds while going 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA.

With these transactions, Washington's 40-man roster is at 40 players