The Washington Nationals have assigned third baseman Carter Kieboom to Triple-A Rochester, the team announced Wednesday.
Kieboom cleared outright waivers before he was sent down. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now sitting at 39.
The 26-year-old infielder was once a top prospect for the Nationals, who selected Kieboom in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He is evidently no longer part of the team's young core, however, given his lack of success at the big league level.
Kieboom was ranked No. 4 in the Nationals' farm system entering 2017. He climbed to No. 3 at the start of 2018, No. 2 in 2019 and No. 1 in 2020.
At his peak, MLB Pipeline had Kieboom pegged as the No. 21 prospect in all of baseball.
Kieboom appeared in 11 MLB games in 2019, then exceeded his rookie limits in 2020 by playing 33 games. He failed to make a positive impact in either stint, batting .181 with a .541 OPS and -0.7 WAR.
After struggling in 62 big league games in 2021, Kieboom underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2022. He did not impress upon his return in 2023, either, batting .207 in 27 games.
Kieboom is a .199 hitter in his major league career, recording 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 138 strikeouts, a .598 OPS and a -1.8 WAR in 133 games. In eight Grapefruit League appearances down at Spring Training this year, Kieboom was 3-for-13 with a walk, an RBI and two strikeouts.
Free agent addition Nick Senzel is expected to be Washington's starting third baseman come Opening Day, while Ildemaro Vargas is in line to serve as his backup.
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