The Nationals introduced Friday that they’ve claimed right-hander Michael Rucker off waivers from the Phillies and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by designating infielder/outfielder Travis Blankenhorn for task. Rucker was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Washington’s 40-man roster stays at capability.
The 30-year-old Rucker was designated for task by the Phillies earlier this week after they chosen Nick Nelson’s contract from Triple-A. The Phils picked Rucker up in a money cope with the Cubs again in February after he’d been designated for task in Chicago. He by no means received right into a sport with the Phillies within the majors, as an alternative spending a lot of the season on the 60-day injured listing owing to an arterial vasospasm in his proper hand. The Phils reinstated and optioned him previous to the commerce deadline. He’s pitched 26 minor league innings this season and been tagged for a 6.58 ERA, with the majority of the injury coming in Triple-A.
Grim as Rucker’s run-prevention has been, his 26.7% strikeout price and eight.6% stroll price are each nice marks (notably the previous). He’s additionally stored the ball on the bottom at a robust 45.2% clip. Rucker, nonetheless, has been tormented by an astronomical .479 common on balls in play throughout his time with the IronPigs.
As lately as 2022, Rucker was a stable member of the Cubs’ bullpen. He pitched a career-high 54 2/3 innings and logged a 3.95 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout price and eight.7% stroll price in that point. His followup effort in 2023 resulted in a extra troubling 4.91 ERA in 40 2/3 frames, however his strikeout and stroll numbers remained usually serviceable and his grounder price spiked to a robust 51.4%. Total, Rucker carries a 4.96 ERA in 123 1/3 innings as a significant leaguer.
As for Blankenhorn, he’s spent the previous two seasons as a depth possibility within the Nationals’ system, showing in a mixed 23 video games and batting .145/.232/.210 in 69 journeys to the plate. These are clearly woeful numbers however are available in a small pattern; Blankenhorn popped 23 homers for the Nats’ Rochester affiliate final season whereas batting .262/.360/.517, and he’s tallied one other 26 massive flies in Triple-A this yr whereas hitting .238/.322/.499.
Initially a third-round decide by the Twins again in 2015, Blankenhorn has bounced across the diamond in his professional profession, seeing time at the entire non-shortstop infield positions and in each outfield corners. He’s a profession .154/.230/.264 hitter in precisely 100 massive league plate appearances however carries a extra productive .254/.343/.489 slash and 74 homers in 363 Triple-A video games. That is Blankenhorn’s ultimate minor league possibility season. He’ll presumably clear waivers and shortly develop into a minor league free agent, whether or not by rejecting an outright task or by exercising that proper at season’s finish.
