Washington Nationals Designate Former All-Star Reliever Matt Barnes For Assignment

Matt Barnes had been shaky for the Washington Nationals this season, so the former Boston Red Sox All-Star and World Series champion was cut loose Tuesday.

Apr 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Matt Barnes (41) throws off the mound. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals have designated relief pitcher Matt Barnes for assignment, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Washington made the move in order to free up space for left-handed pitcher Robert Garcia, who was activated off of the 15-day injured list. Garcia had been out with the flu since April 21.

Barnes, meanwhile, had been on the Nationals' active roster since Opening Day. The 33-year-old righty had a 6.75 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.2 WAR in 13.1 innings this season.

The Nationals have returned LHP Robert Garcia from rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 15-day Injured List. 

The Nationals have designated RHP Matt Barnes for assignment. 

The 40-man roster is now at 39.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) May 7, 2024

The last time Barnes took the mound was May 2 against the Texas Rangers. He gave up three hits, a walk and three earned runs in that game, which marked the third contest this season in which he allowed multiple runs.

That doesn't mean Barnes wasn't effective at times in 2024, though, considering eight of his 14 appearances were scoreless. His ERA was sitting at 3.24 as recently as April 21.

Barnes signed a minor league contract with the Nationals in February.

It's been a tough few years for Barnes, who was once a first round pick, World Series champion and All-Star with the Boston Red Sox.

Right after he signed a two-year, $18.75 million contract extension with the Red Sox in 2021, his numbers fell off. From Aug. 7 to the end of the regular season, Barnes posted a 10.13 ERA, .340 batting average against and a 1.110 OPS against.

Barnes then went 0-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 2022, before Boston traded him to the Miami Marlins in 2023. Through 24 appearances that year, Barnes had a 5.48 ERA and 1.641 WHIP, at which point he underwent season-ending hip surgery.

Now, Barnes is either headed back to the minors, the waiver wire or the open market.

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