Andrew

Pinckney

Pickney’s return to the minors seems to further signal that James Wood (oblique) is coming off the injured list prior to Wednesday’s series finale against Atlanta. The 25-year-old hit .273 (6-for-22) with one homer and one steal during a 13-game stint with the Nationals after being called up in early August.

It looks to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 27-year-old center fielder. Andrew Pinckney will start in his place and will bat ninth against Cubs’ right-hander Kevin Gausman on Thursday afternoon in Washington.

After grounding out to third base in his first big league plate appearance, Pinckney victimized Phillies’ left-hander Cristopher Sanchez for a 402-foot (109.3-mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning, pulling the Nationals to within four runs at 6-2. He was then pinch-hit for in the sixth inning. Pinckney possesses an interesting blend of power and speed and could wind up being a viable option in deeper mixed leagues if he can work his way into the lineup on a nightly basis while James Wood (oblique) is shelved.

Pinckney receives his first promotion to the majors with superstar James Wood hitting the injured list with an oblique strain. The 25-year-old is capable of handling all three outfield spots and has hit .271/.345/.425 with 12 homers and 18 steals in 382 plate appearances on the doorstep of the big leagues this season. He’s unlikely to play enough to deserve roster consideration outside of extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

Bernabel had a shot at Washington’s first-base vacancy after coming over on a minor league deal, but it appears to be trending towards Abimelec Ortiz handling the job at the moment. Still just 23, Bernabel will likely play at AAA if he sticks with the Nationals.

Garrett is the biggest name on this list since he was most recently a starter at the MLB level; however, House is a former first-round pick who went 7-for-21 in 18 spring training games with Washington this year. His season-long numbers from last season leave a little to be desired, but he was young for the Triple-A level at just 21 years old. The Nationals are currently starting Paul DeJong at third base, so if House gets off to a strong start in the minors, he could push for big league at-bats by the summer.