The Washington Nationals have designated first baseman Dominic Smith for assignment, the team announced amid a slew of moves Tuesday afternoon.
Smith was the highest-profile casualty of the club rounding out its 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday evening's deadline. Right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott was also designated for assignment, while the team requested unconditional release waivers for right-handed pitcher Andrés Machado, who is looking to pursue a professional career in Japan.
Washington let the trio go so they could select the contracts of left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, right-handed pitcher Cole Henry, left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker and right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft in the process. They are ranked as No. 16, No. 18, No. 25 and No. 28 prospects in the Nationals' farm system, respectively, by MLB Pipeline.
Smith spent the first six years of his MLB career with the New York Mets, rising up to the big leagues after being ranked as their No. 2 prospect in 2016 and 2017. He carved out a regular role by 2019, although an extended stint on the injured list cut his breakout season short.
In 2020 and 2021, Smith appeared in 195 of 222 games for the Mets, even placing 13th in NL MVP voting in 2020. Smith fell out of favor in New York by 2022, though, appearing in just 58 games before the team let him walk in free agency.
Smith was a mainstay in the Nationals' lineup in 2023, missing only nine games all season. And after batting .194 with a .560 OPS in 2022, Smith hit .254 with a .692 OPS in 2023. Smith's 12 home runs, 21 doubles and 47 walks were all career highs, his 15.5% strikeout rate was a career low, and his 0.9 WAR was quite the boost from his -0.4 mark the year prior.
Still, Smith did not approach the .299 batting average and .937 OPS he put up between 2019 and 2020.
The Nationals now have seven days to trade Smith or place him on waivers.
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