The Nationals announced Thursday that lefty Konnor Pilkington, whom they had designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester in favor of free agency. He’s now free to sign with any club.
The 28-year-old Pilkington pitched 28 1/3 frames for the Nats in 2025, working to a 4.45 ERA with a strong 27.6% strikeout rate. The southpaw’s 13.8% walk rate was an eyesore, however, and marked the continuation of longstanding command issues that have plagued him since his early days in pro ball.
Pilkington is a former third-round pick of the White Sox. He’s pitched 88 1/3 innings in the big leagues and has a solid 3.97 earned run average with a roughly average 22% strikeout rate along the way. His 12.9% walk rate has held him back, and that’s actually an improvement over his work in the upper minors. Pilkington has pitched parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level but carries a grisly 6.10 ERA there, thanks in no small part to walking 14.1% of the opponents he’s faced.
A starter earlier in his career, Pilkington moved to a relief role full time and saw his four-seamer clock in at a career-high 94.5 mph average. He logged an 11.6% swinging-strike rate in the majors, just north of the 11% league-average, and logged a gaudier 13.8% swinging-strike rate in Triple-A.
Pilkington still has one minor league option year remaining, and while his overall track record in Triple-A isn’t good, he notched a 2.59 ERA in 42 1/3 innings with Washington’s top affiliate in Rochester this past season. Rival clubs could be intrigued by his uptick in velocity and the strikeout numbers following a move to the bullpen and take a flier on a minor league deal now that he’s a free agent, but he’ll need to rein in his walks considerably if he’s to carve out a long-term role in the majors.