Nationals Claim Zak Kent

The Nationals claimed right-hander Zak Kent off waivers from the Twins, the team announced. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Washington had an opening on the 40-man roster after lefty Cionel Perez was outrighted on Saturday.

Minnesota designated Kent for assignment earlier this week to clear a spot for right-hander Luis García, who was added to the bullpen after Garrett Acton went down with a shoulder strain. Kent is no stranger to the DFA carousel. In a span of three months this offseason, he was claimed by the Cardinals, Rangers, Cardinals (again), and Twins.

Kent finally found a home in Minnesota. He broke camp with the club and made two appearances in early April. The righty allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings, though only two of the tallies were earned. Kent posted an unsightly 2:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was sent to Triple-A after less than two weeks on the big-league club.

The 28-year-old Kent has notched a 3.38 ERA across 10 2/3 innings with St. Paul. He has a solid 26.1% strikeout rate, but a concerning 13% walk rate. Kent briefly debuted in the majors last season with the Guardians.

The new regime in Washington hasn’t been shy about shuffling arms in and out of the bullpen. The Nats have already used 16 different relievers this season. That number doesn’t include relief outings for Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell, who have operated behind openers at times.