Bourque and Read clear waivers, sent to Triple-A

By Byron Kerr

Nationals

October 13, 2020, 1:38pm

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The Nationals continue to clear space on their 40-man roster.

The club announced this afternoon that right-hander James Bourque and catcher Raudy Read have cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Fresno. The 40-man roster is at 34 players.

Bourque, 27, appeared in six games this season, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 6.75 ERA over four innings of relief. He appeared in one game in 2019, allowing four runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. Early on in the 2020 season, Bourque said he was focusing on throwing his breaking pitch for strikes. He finished the season on the injured list after going down with a right elbow strain on Sept. 21.

Read made the original 30-man opening day roster out of summer training as manager Davey Martinez preferred carrying three catchers. But that philosophy changed as the season got off to a bumpy start and injuries to other positions piled up. So the 26-year-old did not make it into a game in the shortened season with veterans Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes each appearing in 30 games.

Read was available a few times during the season on the taxi squad. He has played in 14 major league games since 2017.