Nationals select contracts of Yasel Antuna and Joan Adon

The Washington Nationals selected the contracts of infielder Yasel Antuna and right-handed pitcher Joan Adon on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Antuna, 21, is the No. 4 prospect in Washington's Minor League system, according to Baseball America. He is also cited by Baseball America as being the "Best Hitter for Average" and the "Best Power Hitter" among Nationals Minor Leaguers. A switch-hitting, versatile infielder, Antuna was a member of Washington's 60-Player Pool in 2020 and spent the entire season at the Alternate Training Site (Fredericksburg). Following the season, he participated in the Nationals Instructional League.

From 2017-19, Antuna hit .247 with 22 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI, 57 walks, 13 stolen bases and 70 runs scored in 138 games across his first three professional seasons. During his young career, he has spent time at shortstop (91 G), third base (15 G) and second base (9 G). In 2017, he ranked third among Nationals farmhands and just outside of the top 10 in the Gulf Coast League in batting average (14th, .301) as a 17 year old, 2.5 years younger than the league average.

Antuna is a native of Peravia, Dominican Republic and was originally signed by the Nationals on July 2, 2016 by scout Pablo Arias. He was ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the 2016 international signing class by both Baseball America and MLB.com.

Adon, 22, will enter his fifth full season in Washington's organization in 2021. He was a member of Washington's 60-Player Pool in 2020 and spent the entire season at the Alternate Training Site (Fredericksburg). Following the season, he participated in the Nationals Instructional League. He is rated as the No. 16 prospect in the Nationals Minor League system, according to MLBPipeline.com.

In 2019, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound righty went 11-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) with Single-A Hagerstown. He struck out 90 batters in 105.0 innings. Adon's 11 wins were tied for most among Nationals farmhands and tied for second among South Atlantic League hurlers. He allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of 22 appearances.

A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Adon was originally signed by the Nationals on July 2, 2016 by scout Pablo Arias. He is 16-5 with a 3.85 ERA in 55 games (21 starts) in four professional seasons.

The Nationals now have 33 players on their 40-man roster.