Washington Nationals Active Slugger off Injured List Amid Bevy of Roster Moves

The Washington Nationals announced a ton of roster moves where one of their star sluggers is now back in the mix.

Jun 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first base Joey Gallo (24) celebrates with Washington Nationals second base Ildemaro Vargas (14) after hitting a two run home run against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Nationals Park / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

With the Washington Nationals being 13 games under .500 that has them sitting with the third-worst record in the National League entering Tuesday, they have virtually nothing to play for coming down this final stretch of the year.

However, as the front office eyes getting this group back into contender status, these final contests before they enter free agency is a great opportunity for the organization to make assessments about who should be on the roster moving forward and which young players can turn into franchise cornerstones.

Whether that results in some of their star prospects like Dylan Crews getting promoted will be seen, but ahead of that happening, the Nationals announced a bevy of roster moves.

The Nationals made the following roster moves on Tuesday:

· Returned from rehab/reinstated 1B/OF Joey Gallo (10-day IL)
· Reinstated LHP Robert Garcia (Bereavement List)
· Optioned OF/DH Travis Blankenhorn to Triple-A
· Optioned RHP Orlando Ribalta to Triple-A

More:… pic.twitter.com/Vvj6EWQg9e

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 20, 2024

The headliner here is that Joey Gallo has now been activated off the injured list after his strained left hamstring has kept him sidelined since June 11.

The two-time All-Star hasn't had the season he was looking for when signing a one-year, $5 million during the winter that allowed him to come in and audition for a long-term role with Washington or for another team. His campaign has been marred by injuries with two separate stints on the IL that has caused him to only appear in 46 games this season so far.

What he can do during this final stretch will likely determine a lot about how his career progresses moving forward as he hits free agency again.

Travis Blankenhorn was the corresponding move after activating Gallo. The utilityman has appeared in 23 games with the Nationals the past two years following signing a minor league deal heading into 2023.

Robert Garcia is now back for Washington after he was moved to the bereavement list on Aug. 17. Since the team claimed him off waivers last August, he has been a solid bullpen piece for them with a 4.34 ERA across his 80 appearances, striking out 91 batters across 76.2 innings pitched.

Orlando Ribalta was sent back down to Triple-A after he was called up for his Major League debut on Aug. 13. The right-hander was a bit overwhelmed in his first experience at this level, giving up three earned runs on five hits in two innings pitched.