Nats DFA Bonifácio, option Bourque to get roster to 28

In order to get down to the league-mandated 28-man roster by noon ET today, the Nationals optioned right-hander James Bourque to their Fredericksburg site and designated for assignment veteran Emilio Bonifácio.

With the return of Wander Suero, Bourque's appearances would have diminished. Bourque appeared in two games, most recently 1/3 of an inning July 28 against the Blue Jays in which he walked Teoscar Hernández and induced a groundout by Cavan Biggio to end the ninth inning.

On July 25 against the Yankees, Bourque, 27, allowed a leadoff double by Giancarlo Stanton but then recorded three straight outs to end the eighth inning, including getting Aaron Hicks and Gary Sánchez to fly out and line out to the outfield. Bourque was a 2014 14th-round selection by the Nats out of Michigan. He spoke recently about making the big league roster out of summer training.

Suero, 28, returned to the field last night, allowing a base hit with no runs in one inning of work. The right-hander came off the injured list Tuesday after being out of action since July 13. He made 78 appearances last season, second most in the National League. He went 6-9 with one save and a 4.54 ERA, but got better in the second half of the season. His ERA dropped from 5.50 to 3.71 after the All-Star break. After allowing a home run against the Dodgers in the 2019 National League Division Series, Suero made three shutout appearances versus the Astros in the 2019 World Series.

The Nationals' signing of free agent Josh Harrison on July 27 made Bonifácio expendable. This was Bonifácio's second term with the Nats, having played for them in 2008 for 41 games. Bonifácio, 35, got into three games this year, but did not record a hit in three at-bats.

Harrison, 33, has a homer and two RBIs in two games and can play several infield and outfield positions.

The Nats still see good value in utility man Wilmer Difo. Most often seen at second base, Difo has appeared in one game, on July 29 as a defensive replacement, but has yet to record an at-bat this season. He has switch-hitting abilities, and similar to Harrison, can play infield and outfield. But he played in only 43 games in 2019 with the arrival of Asdrúbal Cabrera. Now with Starlin Castro's arrival, Difo's current responsibility is in a reserve role.

* The Nationals have announced that the 2021 Winterfest has been canceled. The event had been scheduled for January.

The Nats statement: "Due to the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Winterfest 2021, which was scheduled to be held in January. We know how important this event is to our fans. That said, we look forward to offering a variety of alternative opportunities for our community to come together to celebrate our team. We will share further information as soon as details are finalized. "