The Nationals announced after todays game that they have requested unconditional release waivers on outfielder and optioned infielder to Triple-A Rochester. The corresponding moves havent been announced but reports that outfielder will be selected to the roster for one of them. Infielder will be recalled for the other, per . Garca, 23, was once a top 100 prospect but has continually struggled to hit in the big leagues. Dating back to the 2020 season, hes appeared in 302 games and taken 1,169 plate appearances, coming into todays action. Hes mustered a batting line of .263/.291/.388 in that time, which amounts to a wRC+ of 82. That includes a .260/.294/.363 showing this year Tj Hopkins Jersey , translating to a 74 wRC+. Those numbers are especially concerning since his hit tool was supposed to be his standout feature as a prospect. Advanced defensive metrics dont like his glovework at second base much, with Garca having tallied -2 Defensive Runs Saved there in his career, along with -14 Outs Above Average and a grade of -6.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating. His numbers at shortstop are worse. The Nats will now send him back to Triple-A to get more work there, though he has little to prove at that level. In 82 games there in his career, hes hit .306/.368/.554 but hasnt been able to replicate that at the big league level. Hell now try to get back in a groove and earn himself another chance. From a service time perspective, he began this year with one year and 164 days of service. Hes already gone well past the two-year mark but his chances of reaching Super Two status at the end of the this year could go down, depending on how long hes out. Perhaps more importantly, he has just one option year remaining. Once he spends 20 days on optional a signment, hell burn that last option here in 2023 and be out of options going into 2024. The Nats will likely still be rebuilding next year and could give him another shot, though his grasp on a roster spot would likely be more tenuous at that point. As for Dickerson, 34, its hardly a surprise to see him lose his roster spot now. He was one of a handful of veterans that the Nats brought in over the winter on one-year deals to serve as veteran mentors and hopefully become trade chips. showed the best-case scenario as he mashed and was able to be flipped to the Cubs for a couple of prospects. But Dickerson has hit just .252/.285/.357 for the year, producing a wRC+ of 71 that would be a career low for him. Now that the deadline has pa sed, the club will use his roster spot to give a chance to other players with a greater chance to help in future seasons. One of those players the Nats will get a look at will reportedly be Rutherford. The 26-year-old was a first round pick of the Yankees, getting selected 18th overall in 2016. He was considered a top 100 prospect going into 2017 before getting flipped to the White Sox that summer as part of a that sent , and to the Yankees. The Sox added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2019 to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, but he didnt hit much in the years to come and was eventually outrighted off the roster, without getting a chance to make his major league debut. He cleared waivers in the proce s, meaning the other 29 clubs in the league had a chance to grab him and pa sed. He reached free agency after last year, signing a minor league contract with the Nats in the winter and has seemingly been back in good form. Hes hit .345/.395/.583 in 62 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this year, producing a 153 wRC+. Thats obviously much better than his combined batting line of .262/.305/.399 from 2019 to 2022. The Nats will now give him a chance to see how he can handle major league pitching. If he succeeds, he still has no service time and can be retained for six seasons beyond this one. He also has an option year remaining, giving the club a bit of roster flexibility to use at some point. Blake Snell Jersey