Former Twins OF Eddie Rosario DFA'd by Nationals

Rosario's post-Twins days marked by World Series ring & massive inconsistency

The Washington Nationals made waves by promoting top outfield prospect James Wood on Monday, but the corresponding move resulted in an old friend losing their roster spot.

Eddie Rosario was DFA’d by the Nationals after just 67 games (235 plate appearances), though it’s not hard to see why as he hit just .183/.226/.329. Rosario hadn’t started a game in the outfield in nearly a month (since June 5), and had started 14 games at DH in June before the Nats decided to cut bait.

Wood, the No. 3 prospect in MLB per Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, joins Mackenzie Gore and CJ Abrams a core of youngsters the Nationals will rely upon moving forward.

Wood, Gore and Abrams were acquired in the deal that sent Juan Soto to the Padres.

Rosario hit .277/.310/.478 in nearly 700 games with the Twins between 2015-20 before he was non-tendered. He landed with the Guardians, and has made stops with the Braves and Nationals as well since departing, including winning a World Series with the Braves in 2021.

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican outfielder has played 400 games since leaving the Twins, slashing .236/.283/.403 for an 87 OPS+ (a steep dropoff from his 109 with the Twins).

As these things go, Rosario will likely clear waivers within the next few days and be eligible to sign elsewhere. His $2 million salary will be paid by the Nationals, leaving Rosario an opportunity to pick up another shot while costing his next team nearly nothing.

To me, this feels like an opportunity for a team like the Rays to scoop him up and see if they can catch lightning in a bottle for the next month or so.