Washington Nationals announced on Monday that they have signed the two-times All-Star utility player Josh Harrison. The 33-year-old player joined Nationals on a one-year deal.
Harrison signed a minor-league contract with Philadelphia Phillies back in November but ended up being released last week. He immediately received interest from several teams but ended up preferring the reigning World Series champions.
“It’s always been a place of interest to me, and I think it’s been both ways. … There was always mutual interest,” said Harrison via ESPN. “It was a little crazy. But at the same time, everything happened so fast. I wanted to act quickly. knowing this is a 60-game season. Teams didn’t want to wait around — and I didn’t want to wait around.”
Nationals had several early injuries with slugger Juan Soto and third baseman Carter Kieboom currently being out for an unspecified period. Bringing in Harrison helps them address the resulting depth issues, as he played every position in baseball except catcher, first base and center field during his career.
“When you play against him, you see he had that energy, that passion for the game — the kind of guy we like,” said Washington’s manager Dave Martinez. “He brings a lot of different aspects of the game. He can run, play multiple different positions — infield, outfield. He’s hit all over the lineup.”
Josh Harrison spent the majority of his career with Pittsburgh Pirates, playing for the organization between 2011 and 2018. During that time, Harrison earned two All-Star appearances and won Heart and Hustle Award. He spent the 2019 season with Detroit Tigers.
Harison’s career stats include .273 batting average with 53 home runs and 277 RBIs.
