Nationals select contract of outfielder Nate Schierholtz, option Michael A. Taylor to Triple-A

The Washington Nationals today selected the contract of outfielder Nate Schierholtz, optioned outfielder Michael A. Taylor to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed outfielder Nate McLouth (right shoulder inflammation) on the 60-Day Disabled List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Schierholtz, a .254 career hitter (520-for-2050) with 117 doubles, 51 home runs and 224 RBI in 776 career games with the Cubs (2013 - '14), Phillies (2012) and Giants (2007 - '12), was signed by the Nationals to a Minor League contract on Aug. 18. Earlier this season, he collected 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, three triples, six home runs) in 99 games for the Chicago Cubs. A left-handed hitter, Schierholtz is a career .289 pinch hitter (48-for-166) with four home runs and 23 RBI. Schierholtz's .763 OPS as a pinch hitter ranks fourth among active players with at least 150 career plate appearances in a pinch-hitting role. Schierholtz, 30, is one season removed from his finest offensive campaign. In 2013, his first year with the Cubs, he hit .251 and established career highs in home runs (21), doubles (32), extra-base hits (56), RBI (68) and runs scored (56). Schierholtz is a veteran of 11 postseason contests and earned a pair of World Series rings, both with the Giants (2010, 2012). A U.S. Olympian (bronze medal) in 2008, Schierholtz was originally San Francisco's second-round selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. Taylor, one of the Nationals top-ranked outfield prospects, hit .167 (3-for-18) in seven games during his first Major League stint. In his Major League debut on Aug 12 at Citi Field, Taylor was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.