Washington Nationals Sign Former Tampa Bay Rays Designated Hitter Harold Ramírez

A week after getting designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays, veteran Harold Ramírez has inked a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.

Feb 27, 2024; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Harold Ramirez (43) singles during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Charlotte Sports Park. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals have signed outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramírez to a minor league contract, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

The Tampa Bay Rays designated Ramírez for assignment on June 7. He was released on Friday, making him a free agent and opening the door for him to join the Nationals.

Ramírez is set to report to Triple-A Rochester.

The Nationals have agreed to terms on a Minor League contract with outfielder Harold Ramirez.

He will report to Triple-A Rochester.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) June 15, 2024

Ramírez was batting .268 with one home run, 13 RBI, five stolen bases, a .589 OPS and a 0.1 WAR before the Rays removed him from their 40-man roster. He hit just .189 with one RBI and a .400 OPS between May 10 and June 5, failing to record an extra-base hit in that stretch.

There were trade rumors circulating around Ramírez this past offseason, but the Rays wound up becoming the latest team to ship him away for nothing.

Before he ever made his MLB debut, Ramírez bounced around from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Toronto Blue Jays, then to the Miami Marlins. Ramírez enjoyed a promising rookie campaign with the Marlins in 2019, but he was eventually cut loose and failed to find much success until the Chicago Cubs traded him to Tampa Bay in March 2022.

Ramírez then hit .306 with a .780 OPS and 3.3 WAR between 2022 and 2023, appearing in 120 and 122 games, respectively. Per 162 games, he averaged 12 home runs, 29 doubles, 165 hits and 84 RBI, all while owning a 121 OPS+.

The 29-year-old wasn't coming anywhere near that kind of production in 2024, though, which is why the Rays let him walk. Still, it isn't surprising that those numbers drew the Nationals' interest, even if they only gave him a minor league contract.

After all, first baseman Joey Gallo is on the injured list, and Eddie Rosatio hasn't exactly thrived since taking over as designated hitter. The 32-year-old outfielder is batting .185 with a .586 OPS on the whole this season.

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