Nationals' Donovan Casey: Joins 40-man roster

Casey was added to the Nationals' 40-man roster Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The move prevents the Nationals from losing Casey in the Rule 5 draft, but it probably doesn't mean he's being considered for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He looked good in 85 games at the Double-A level on either side of a trade from the Dodgers, hitting .303/.361/.483 with 14 homers and 17 steals, but he stumbled to a .179/.245/.291 line in 38 games upon a promotion to Triple-A Rochester. He needs to conquer that level before making a push for his big-league debut.