Washington Nationals sign Carter Kieboom after former top prospect clears waivers
Washington Nationals demotes third baseman Star to Triple-A Rochester, the team announced on Wednesday.
Kieboom cleared outright waivers before being sent down. The Nationals’ 40-man roster now stands at 39.
The 26-year-old infielder was previously considered a strong prospect by the Nationals, who took him in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He is clearly no longer a member of the team’s young core, given his lack of success in the major leagues.
Kieboom was ranked fourth in the Nationals’ farm system entering 2017. He rose to third place at the start of 2018, second in 2019, and first in 2020.
At his peak, MLB Pipeline ranked Kieboom as the No. 21 prospect in all of baseball.
Kieboom appeared in 11 MLB games in 2019, then played 33 games in 2020, exceeding his rookie limit. He did not have a beneficial influence in either tenure, 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 the entire season in 2022. He also failed to impress when he returned to bat in 2023.207 in 27 games.
In 133 major league games, Kieboom has a.199 batting average, 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 138 strikeouts, a.598 OPS, and a -1.8 WAR. Kieboom was 3-for-13 with a walk, an RBI, and two strikeouts in eight Grapefruit League appearances at Spring Training this season.
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.
