The Nationals announced that they selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez. To make room on the active roster, fellow righty Hunter Harvey was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right pronator strain. Utility player Ehire Adrianza was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Ramirez, who turns 32 next month, has appeared in each of the past 10 MLB seasons, spending time with the Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Mets and Tigers. Although he began his career as a starting pitcher, he has spent more time as a reliever as time has gone on, with his last MLB start occuring back in 2018. Last year, he threw 26 2/3 innings out of Detroit’s bullpen with a 5.74 ERA. His 18.3% strikeout rate was subpar, but he avoided free passes with a 4.6% rate that was about half the league average. In seven Triple-A innings so far this year, he’s yet to allow a run with 12 strikeouts and a single walk.
Harvey was a first-round pick of the Orioles in 2013 but had his career trajectory repeatedly derailed by injuries. He pitched a few innings out of Baltimore’s bullpen in each of the 2019-21 seasons, but the O's gave up on him this offseason and put him on waivers. He was claimed by the Giants, who put him on waivers again, this time landing with the Nats. In 2 2/3 scoreless innings thus far, Harvey has struck three and walked one. The club didn’t provide a timeline for his recovery.
As for Adrianza, he was signed to a one-year, $1.5M deal in the offseason to help the club’s infield depth. However, he began the year on the IL with a quad strain and now won’t be able to help the team until June at the earliest. The 32-year-old has appeared in the past nine MLB seasons, spending time with the Giants, Twins and Braves while playing every position on the diamond except catcher.
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