Matt Adams among Nationals’ latest roster cuts as Opening Day nears
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The Nationals reassigned Colomé, Machado and Peralta to minor league camp Saturday; Espino, already on the 40-man roster, was optioned to Class AAA Rochester. Infielder Jeter Downs also was optioned to Rochester, and Manager Dave Martinez informed Adams, a 34-year-old veteran of 10 seasons, that he won’t make the team.
“Today’s a tough day for me, for players, because you build relationships with these guys,” Martinez said. “But, like I always tell them, it’s never the end. As we know, before this is all over, there’s going to be a lot of moves, so just keep going down there and playing hard.”
After the Nationals lost to Houston on Saturday night, 6-1, Martinez said he wasn’t sure whether Adams will accept his assignment to Rochester or elect to become a free agent with hopes of signing with another team.
The Nationals have to trim their roster as they prepare to leave Florida following their Grapefruit League finale Sunday. And though the roster is still taking shape — they must be down to 26 players by Opening Day — Martinez acknowledged that there could be more shuffling in the coming days if players become available following roster cuts across the majors.
Saturday’s moves leave utility player Michael Chavis as the lone healthy player in camp who could fill the team’s fourth bench slot. Catcher Israel Pineda is still in major league camp but is dealing with a finger injury that has kept him from swinging a bat.
Adams hit 20 homers in 310 at-bats as part of the Nationals’ 2019 championship team and had the most familiarity with the organization. But he has played in just 38 major league games since 2019. Last year, he played with the Kansas City Monarchs, an independent league team. Adams was 13 for 39 in spring training, but Martinez said he lacked the versatility he was looking for in a bench player.
Adams and Chavis, 27, primarily play first base, but Chavis — a first-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2014 — has also filled in at second (96 games), third (18) and in the outfield (13) during his career.
“I’ve talked about this 26th man who can do a lot of different things — he fits the bill,” Martinez said of Chavis on Friday. “I like the way he plays all positions. . . . It doesn’t matter to him what we asked him to do; he’s ready to do anything we asked.”
Chavis, on the third team of his career, hit 14 homers and drove in 49 runs last season with…
Read More: Matt Adams among Nationals’ latest roster cuts as Opening Day nears 2023-03-26 02:10:00