Washington Nationals Claim Pitcher, Designate For Assignment
One day after making a pair of roster moves to the pitching staff, the Washington Nationals have claimed another off the waiver wire to round out the 40 man roster.
The Nationals announced that the front office has claimed former Minnesota Twins reliever right handed pitcher Zak Kent has been claimed off waivers and optioned him to Triple A Rochester. The move was announced in the early innings of Sunday's series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers .
Kent appeared in a pair of games for the Twins in early April, allowing an earned run in each appearance along with four total hits across 3.2 innings pitched with a 4.91 ERA and 2.45 WHIP.
In 12 games with the Cleveland Guardians in 2025, Kent posted an 1-0 record and notched a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP while tossing 16 strikeouts against eight walks and 17 hits allowed.
The Virginia native also attended Northumberland High School before attending Virginia Military Institute for three seasons, including a standout junior season. Kent then began his professional career after the Texas Rangers selected the right hander with the 265th overall pick in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft before being promoted to the 40 man roster in Nov. 2022 to protect him from the Rule Five Draft.
The Rangers then dealt Kent to the Cleveland Guardians in March 2024 in exchange for international bonus pool space before being designated for assignment.
The St. Louis Cardinals briefly claimed Kent after the Guardians released him, only to be released again and being claimed by the Twins roughly one month, flipping between the teams once again before sticking with the Twins in late February.
When Kent is ultimately promoted remains to be seen as he will look to arrive to serve as a boost to what has been one of the worst and most inconsistent pitching staffs through the first six weeks of the 2026 regular season. Yet the pitching staff is coming off an encouraging showing after manager Blake Butera turned to an opener once again with PJ Poulin tossing a pair of strikeouts and allowing one hit through the first two innings on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Nationals will look to build on Sunday's win and continue the home stand into this week with an off day set for Monday before Kent's former team arrives for a three game series beginning Tuesday. It marks the first and only matchup against the Minnesota Twins this season.
