The Nationals are calling up Travis Blankenhorn, reports Andrew Golden of the Washington Post (X link). They’ll need to select his contract but have a pair of openings on the 40-man roster after the Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas trades.
Blankenhorn, 28 next week, appeared in 10 games for the Nats last season. It was his fourth straight year reaching the majors, albeit without ever topping last season’s 37 plate appearances. Washington ran him through outright waivers at year’s end. The former third-round pick returned to the organization on a minor league deal in January.
The lefty-swinging Blankenhorn has spent the entire season with Triple-A Rochester. He’s hitting at a slightly above-average level, running a .246/.328/.518 line with 24 homers across 401 plate appearances. Blankenhorn also popped 23 homers in 108 Triple-A contests a year ago, so he clearly has decent power potential.
That has generally come with a fair amount of strikeouts and a fringy defensive profile. Blankenhorn has split his time between the corner outfield spots, first base and designated hitter. Considering the Nats just subtracted two of their corner outfielders, he could get his most extended look at MLB pitching over the season’s final couple months.