The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jack Sinclair. Fellow righty Max Kranick has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Additionally, the Nats relayed that left-hander Tom Cosgrove has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Rochester. Cosgrove had been designated for assignment earlier this week.

Kranick, 29, was signed in May. He was recovering from flexor tendon surgery at the time, as he had gone under the knife in July of 2025 while with the Mets. He was non-tendered at the end of last year, which allowed the Nats to scoop him up. The deal paid him a salary of $800K this year with a club option for 2027. At the time, he had a career earned run average of 4.69 in 80 2/3 innings.

The Nats were hoping that he could post some good results after he recovered but that didn’t come to pass. He came off the injured list in July and has thrown 18 1/3 innings for the Nats with an awful 9.33 ERA. There is a bit of bad luck in there, as his .354 batting average on balls in play and 62.1% strand rate are both to the unfortunate side, but he also has an awful 11.7% strikeout rate and 13.8% walk rate. His 7.02 FIP and 6.05 SIERA suggest he would be putting up poor numbers even with neutral luck.

Washington has decided to cut bait. Since Kranick is out of options, he has been removed from the 40-man. With the trade deadline having passed, Kranick will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. Considering his results, it would be a surprise if he were claimed.

If he goes unclaimed, he would have the right to elect free agency but probably wouldn’t. Players with at least three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency but they need five years of service to do so while keeping the money they are owed. Kranick is in that three-to-five window and presumably doesn’t want to walk away from the modest amount of money he is still has left on his deal. He could report to Triple-A Rochester for a few weeks, keep cashing those checks, and then become a free agent at season’s end.

The Nationals flirted with contention for much of this year but are clearly out of it now, sporting a 67-75 record which has them 7.5 games out of a playoff spot. As they play out the string on the season, they will get a look at Sinclair at the big league level.

A 16th-round pick from the 2021 draft, Sinclair has never really been a top prospect. He gets strikeouts but control is an issue. He has thrown 60 1/3 innings for Triple-A Rochester this year with a 4.03 ERA. He has punched out opposing hitters at a strong 28% clip and induced grounders on 48% of balls in play but has also given out free passes at a high 12.1% pace. His fastballs average in the mid-90s but he is throwing his mid-80s slider more than half the time this year. Since this is his first big league promotion, he has a full slate of options.

As for Cosgrove, he started this year with the Astros on a minor league deal. Washington traded for him and added him to the roster in July. He posted a 7.71 ERA in 16 1/3 innings and got bumped off the roster. The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers.

The southpaw has a previous career outright and can therefore elect minor league free agency, though the Nats didn’t say whether or not he would do so. He would surely be limited to minor league offers if he were on the open market. Perhaps he will report to Rochester for the final few weeks of the season. He would be eligible for seven-year minor league free agency at season’s end if not added back to the roster.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images