Phillies' Aaron Barrett: Gets chance with Phillies
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Barrett agreed Tuesday with the Phillies on a minor-league contract, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Barrett will likely get the opportunity to compete for a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen whenever the lockout ends, but for the time being, the organization is viewing him as relief depth at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 34-year-old right-hander has endured a number of injures throughout his career, most recently missing a large chunk of the 2021 season while recovering from knee surgery. Barrett has previously made 95 appearances at the big-league level across parts of four seasons with Washington, submitting a 4.01 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Activated from MiLB IL
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The Nationals activated Barrett (knee) from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Rochester and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, independent sports writer Byron Kerr reports.
Barrett's start to the minor-league season was delayed while he recovered from right knee surgery, but he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Fredericksburg just over a week ago. During his four outings at Low-A, Barrett covered five innings and gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out 11. The 33-year-old right-hander, a veteran of 95 career big-league appearances, will likely move up to Rochester quickly if he continues to make bats miss at a high rate in Harrisburg.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Begins rehab assignment
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Barrett (knee) has reported to Low-A Fredericksburg for a rehab assignment, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Barrett hasn't yet made his 2021 debut as he continues to recover from right knee surgery that he underwent in mid-March. Although the 33-year-old could require some time to build up following his lengthy absence, his rehab assignment could be the final step in his recovery process.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Moves to minors camp
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Barrett (knee) was assigned to minor-league camp Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Barrett hasn't pitched this spring due to a knee issue which wound up requiring surgery. It's not yet clear when he'll be back on the mound.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Returning from knee surgery
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Barrett underwent right knee surgery this week and has returned to Nationals camp, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The 33-year-old rejoined Washington on a minor-league deal in November, and he had a knee issue crop up while throwing at the start of camp. Barrett already faced long odds to make the Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee, and those odds will get even longer as he remains sidelined. It's unclear when the right-hander is expected to return to mound work.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Rejoins Nats on MiLB deal
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Barrett (triceps) re-signed Thursday with the Nationals on a minor-league contract, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
Barrett's deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training. The 32-year-old once looked to be a promising bullpen piece for the Nationals while he rose through the system after being drafted in 2010, but multiple arm injuries kept him on the shelf for much of the last half of the past decade. He made two appearances out of the Washington bullpen during the 2020 campaign before being shut down in late September with a right triceps strain and later removed from the 40-man roster. The Nationals' decision to re-sign him at least suggests that Barrett is expected to be fully healthy for the spring.
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Aaron Barrett: Heads to open market
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Barrett (triceps) became a free agent Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Barrett was outrighted to Triple-A Fresno on Friday but exercised his right to refuse the assignment and will head to the open market instead. He's unlikely to generate a ton of interest, as he's a 32-year-old who has thrown a total of four big-league innings over the least five seasons while dealing with multiple injuries, including a triceps strain that cut his 2020 campaign short early.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Outrighted to Triple-A
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Barrett (triceps) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Fresno on Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 32-year-old finished the season on the injured list with a right triceps strain and has now been removed from the 40-man roster. Barrett made only two appearances and gave up two runs over 1.2 innings, and it's unclear when he's expected to return to full health.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Placed on injured list
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Barrett was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right triceps strain Monday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Barrett made a relief appearance Friday, and he experienced right triceps soreness during that outing. He'll be placed on the injured list as a result, and he'll be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with just under a week remaining. Right-hander Paolo Espino's contract was selected in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Dealing with triceps soreness
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Barrett experienced right triceps soreness during his appearance in Friday's game against the Marlins and could be placed on the 10-day injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Manager Dave Martinez noted Monday that Barrett is feeling better, but if he fails to make more notable progress in the next day or two, a trip to the IL will grow likelier for the right-hander. Arm injuries are nothing new for Barrett, who missed the majority of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery and a fractured forearm.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Called up by Nationals
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Barrett was recalled by the Nationals on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 32-year-old will be making his season debut whenever he gets into a game. He made three appearances for the Nationals late last season, his first big-league innings since 2015 after he missed the intervening years while recovering from Tommy John surgery and a fractured forearm. Tanner Rainey (forearm) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Sent to minors
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Barrett was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Saturday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Barrett had an uphill battle toward claiming a spot in the major-league bullpen during spring training, and he failed to generate much production with a 7.50 ERA and 3:3 K:BB over six innings. The 32-year-old was fully healthy during the offseason and was effective in the minors last year, and he could play a low-leverage role in the Nationals' bullpen at some point in 2020 if injuries arise.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Had healthy offseason
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Barrett heads into spring training healthy, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander made his return to the mound last summer after missing almost three full seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a fractured forearm, so making it through the winter without suffering any setbacks was no sure thing. Barrett posted good numbers at Double-A in 2019 but fought his control during a September callup to the majors, so while his comeback is an inspiring story, he still has plenty to prove in camp if he's going to secure a low-leverage spot in Washington's bullpen.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Callup official
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The Nationals officially selected Barrett's contract from Double-A Harrisburg on Wednesday.
As anticipated, Barrett will make his long-awaited return to the big leagues after having last pitched for the Nationals in 2015. The right-hander was sidelined for the entire 2016 campaign following Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch in 2017 after fracturing his right arm. The 31-year-old appears to have since bounced back from the devastating injuries, as he posted a 2.75 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 62:16 K:BB across 52.1 innings at Double-A this season.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Resurfaces in majors
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Barrett had his contract selected from Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Barrett last appeared in the majors back in 2015, posting a 4.60 ERA with 35 punchouts over 29.1 innings. He'll get another shot with the big-league club after finishing with a 2.75 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 62:16 K:BB over 52.1 frames with the Senators this year.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Makes first appearance since 2015
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Barrett (elbow) debuted with short-season Auburn on June 15, working around two hits and a walk and striking out three batters as part of a scoreless inning.
The outing marked Barrett's first appearance in affiliated ball since Aug. 5, 2015, when he was still a member of the Nationals' active roster. Barrett was diagnosed with a sprained elbow a day after that game that ultimately required Tommy John surgery, then cracked his humerus bone in July 2016 when he was struck by a line drive while facing live hitters. After having two plates and 16 screws inserted into his elbow to address the latter injury, Barrett is finally ready to resume his career after a two-year rehab process. He hasn't pitched since that initial appearance for the short-season club, but it's expected that he'll gradually increase the frequency of his outings and work his way up the minor-league ladder again.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Throws at extended spring training Tuesday
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Barrett (elbow) threw at extended spring training Tuesday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.
The headliner of the extended spring game was Daniel Murphy's presence, but it turns out Barrett was the pitcher throwing to him. Barrett wasn't expected to begin throwing in game situations until later this year, so this is a nice surprise. He still projects to miss at least another month or so, however.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Joins Nationals on minors deal
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Barrett (elbow) agreed to a minor-league deal with the Nationals on Tuesday, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.
Barrett is a former Nationals setup man, but Tommy John surgery in 2015 and a fractured elbow in 2016 have ended his previous two big-league campaigns. The 29-year-old is still rehabbing his elbow and it's currently unclear when he'll return to live action. His return to the major leagues does not seem to be imminent.
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Aaron Barrett: Elects free agency
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Barrett (elbow) cleared waivers Wednesday and declined an assignment to Triple-A Syracuse, making him a free agent, The Washington Post reports.
He's recovering from two elbow surgeries in the last 13 months, so there likely won't be a big market for his services. When he's healthy, Barrett's nasty slider can make him an effective part of a major league bullpen in a middle relief or setup role, but it's not certain yet whether he'll even be ready for spring training. Expect Barrett to eventually land a minor league deal somewhere, potentially even back with the Nats.
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Nationals' Aaron Barrett: Placed on waivers
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Barrett was placed on outright waivers this week, The Washington Post reports.
This doesn't necessarily mean his tenure with the Nationals is over, but after two elbow surgeries in 12 months the team was unwilling to use a 40-man roster spot on the reliever, much less pony up for him in arbitration. Barrett isn't expected to be ready to pitch again until at least midseason 2017.
