The Washington Nationals recalled first baseman/designated hitter Abimelec Ortiz and designated left-handed pitcher Matt Krook for assignment on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.
Ortiz, 24, joins the Nationals after hitting .239 with 17 doubles, 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 31 walks and 49 runs scored in 71 games for Triple-A Rochester this season. He homered in four consecutive games from May 22-27. Ortiz was named International Player of the Week from May 25-31, going 10-for-21 (.476) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, a walk and four runs scored during that span. He hit safely in 11 consecutive games from May 20-June 4.
A native Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Ortiz ranks in Washington’s system in doubles (T2nd, 17), RBI (2nd, 59), home runs (4th, 16), extra base hits (4th, 33) and slugging percentage (7th, .481). He is tied for second in all of Minor League Baseball with 92 home runs and third in RBI with 313 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
Oritz, Washington’s No. 25 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com*,* was acquired by Washington via trade with Texas on January 25. He originally signed with Texas as a non-drafted free agent on July 29, 2021.