Fastball

Washington Nationals Outright Carter Kieboom After Former Top Prospect Clears Waivers

Third baseman Carter Kieboom was once seen as a potential centerpiece for the Washington Nationals, but he got waived and sent to Triple-A on Wednesday.

Sam Connon

Washington Nationals Outright Carter Kieboom After Former Top Prospect Clears Waivers
Washington Nationals Outright Carter Kieboom After Former Top Prospect Clears Waivers /
In this story:

The Washington Nationals have assigned third baseman Carter Kieboom to Triple-A Rochester, the team announced Wednesday.

Kieboom cleared outright waivers before he was sent down. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now sitting at 39.

The 26-year-old infielder was once a top prospect for the Nationals, who selected Kieboom in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He is evidently no longer part of the team's young core, however, given his lack of success at the big league level.

Kieboom was ranked No. 4 in the Nationals' farm system entering 2017. He climbed to No. 3 at the start of 2018, No. 2 in 2019 and No. 1 in 2020.

At his peak, MLB Pipeline had Kieboom pegged as the No. 21 prospect in all of baseball.

Kieboom appeared in 11 MLB games in 2019, then exceeded his rookie limits in 2020 by playing 33 games. He failed to make a positive impact in either stint, batting .181 with a .541 OPS and -0.7 WAR.

After struggling in 62 big league games in 2021, Kieboom underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2022. He did not impress upon his return in 2023, either, batting .207 in 27 games.

Kieboom is a .199 hitter in his major league career, recording 12 home runs, 42 RBI,  138 strikeouts, a .598 OPS and a -1.8 WAR in 133 games. In eight Grapefruit League appearances down at Spring Training this year, Kieboom was 3-for-13 with a walk, an RBI and two strikeouts.

Free agent addition Nick Senzel is expected to be Washington's starting third baseman come Opening Day, while Ildemaro Vargas is in line to serve as his backup.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

Home/News