Nationals release veteran starting pitcher amid flurry of roster moves

The Nationals announced Friday that they’ve released veteran right-hander Zach Davies, who’d been in camp on a minor league contract. Washington also reassigned veteran lefty Richard Bleier, first baseman Juan Yepez and top prospects James Wood, Brady House, Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III to minor league camp. Bleier and Yepez, like Davies, were in camp on non-roster deals with spring invites.

Davies, 31, was signed to provide some depth to a thin rotation but was rocked for 14 runs in 14 innings this spring. Opposing hitters connected on 20 hits, including a pair of homers, and Davies issued seven free passes while plunking another batter. To his credit, he fanned 17 of his 69 opponents — a 24.6% clip that’s far north of his career average — but it wasn’t a strong all around impression. He’ll look to latch on with another club in need of some depth.

From 2022-23, Davies was in the D-backs rotation. He was a solid back-end arm in 2022, logging 134 1/3 frames of 4.09 ERA ball, albeit with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates alike. He was torched for a 7.00 ERA in 82 1/3 innings last year, missing time with back and oblique injuries along the way. Davies has never had good strikeout numbers, fanning just 17.5% of his career opponents, but he’s typically had solid command (8.1% walk rate) and a slightly above-average ground-ball rate (44.9%). It’s not the flashiest skill set, but Davies has regularly dodged hard contact and managed to post a career 4.36 ERA in 1,048 1/3 innings despite averaging under 90 mph on his fastball.

Also not making the cut are veterans Bleier and Yepez. Bleier, soon to turn 37, had a big spring with just two runs allowed on eight hits and no walks with nine strikeouts through 10 2/3 innings. The soft-tossing lefty is looking to bounce back from last year’s 5.28 ERA in Boston. From 2020-22, he turned in 125 1/3 innings of 3.09 ERA ball with well below-average strikeout rates but elite command and ground-ball tendencies.

The 26-year-old Yepez came to Nationals camp hoping to win a spot in the team’s first base/left field/designated hitter mix. Like Bleier, he’s performed well, hitting .387/.424/.581 with a couple of homers in 33 trips to the plate. Yepez didn’t hit much in parts of two seasons with the Cardinals (.240/.286/.419, 97 wRC+) — especially considering his lack of speed and defensive value. However, he has a nice track record in Triple-A, where he’s slashed .279/.349/.515 in 948 plate appearances.

Of the top prospects optioned Friday, Wood had the best chance of making the roster, but even that was likely only an outside shot. The 21-year-old slugger was one of the centerpieces of Washington’s Juan Soto return from the Padres (along with Hassell) and did his best to force the issue this spring, slashing .341/.491/.707 with four homers. Despite that borderline comical offensive output, Wood has yet to play in Triple-A and only has 87 games above A-ball. He’ll head to the upper minors for some more refinement, but he’s one of the game’s top-ranked prospects and will have a real chance to make his MLB debut in 2024.