Nationals acquire Vivas from Yankees to serve as backup infielder

BALTIMORE -- The Nationals acquired infielder Jorbit Vivas from the Yankees in exchange for Washington’s No. 27 prospect, right-hander Sean Paul Liñan, the team announced on Sunday.

Right-handed pitcher Griff McGarry was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Vivas.

Hailing from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, the 25-year-old Vivas debuted for the Yankees last May and slashed .161/.266/.250 with one homer over 66 plate appearances. He had joined the organization in 2023, when he was acquired from the Dodgers as part of a deal for shortstop Trey Sweeney. Over seven Minor League seasons, Vivas hit .271 with 52 homers, 94 steals and a .782 OPS.

Vivas, who is out of Minor League options, is expected to serve as a backup at second and third base, likely taking the Opening Day roster spot of infielder José Tena -- who also is out of options and would need to be placed on waivers.

TRADE DETAILS
Nationals get: INF Jorbit Vivas
Yankees get: RHP Sean Paul Liñan (was WSH's No. 27 prospect, now NYY's No. 23 prospect)

“He’s someone that we’ve admired for some time,” manager Blake Butera said. “And he gives us the ability to play multiple positions in the infield. He is another left-handed bat; it is what it is. But I think the ability he has to get on base -- in the Minor Leagues, he walked more than he struck out, which is a pretty impressive thing to do. And he did it multiple years. He controls at-bats, and we’ll have some runway for him to play. I know he’s out of options with the Yankees. Just excited to get him. We think there’s a lot to tap into there.”

Many aspects of Tena and Vivas’ makeups are nearly identical; both are left-handed bats with a defensive focus at second and third base -- the two positions where the Nationals needed a No. 2 defender.

Tena had previously been the frontrunner for the utility infield role, however he underperformed offensively during Grapefruit League action, slashing .176/.349/.265 with one homer in 18 games, while Vivas -- who reportedly is more defensive-minded than Tena, which adds to his intrigue -- slashed .227/.370/.273 in 18 spring games with the Yankees.

Liñan joined the Nats with pitcher Eriq Swan last summer in the trade that sent outfielder Alex Call to the Dodgers. Possessing one of the best changeups in the Minors, the 21-year-old Colombian righty struck out 106 batters over 77 1/3 innings across four levels in 2025.

McGarry, who the Nationals selected in the Rule 5 Draft over the winter, made six Grapefruit League appearances, delivering a 3.18 ERA over 5 2/3 innings with three holds and one save. He also held opponents to a .190 batting average.

"That was a tough conversation we had with him,” Butera said. “We love Griff the person and love Griff the pitcher, and we think he’s going to pitch in the big leagues for a long time. It’s just -- he wasn’t quite there yet, and we just didn’t have the runway to give him at the Major League level. We’re hoping to somehow hang onto him at some point. But I just told Griff: ‘The stuff is real. We just ran out of time to get it there.’”