Washington Nationals made several roster moves on Wednesday in attempt to bounce back after two consecutive losses that sees them falling to 5th in NL East with 11-16 record.
According to the MLB Network’s Dan Kolko, Nationals activated closer Sean Doolittle from the injured list, while optioning rookie third baseman Carter Kieboom to team’s alternate training site.
Doolittle was on the injured list since August 13th, having dealt with knee fatigue. The two-time All-Star hasn’t been effective for Washington in five games he played in 2020, recording an abysmal 15.0 ERA with only two strikeouts.
However, Nationals hope that the two weeks of break helped the 33-year-old player heal and that they will get some badly-needed pitching help from Doolittle in the second part of the season.
Kieboom was installed as a starter on 3B this season, stepping in for All-Star Anthony Redon, who left in the free agency. The 22-year-old player had a promising start of his career in majors, but ended up struggling as the season progressed. In 17 games he played in 2020, he had .200 batting average with five RBIs and no home runs.
In Kieboom’s absence, veteran Asdrubal Cabrera is expected to take over the starting third baseman role. He batted .269 this season with 17 RBIs and five homers.
