Washington Nationals Cut Roster Down To 33 Players

This morning, the Washington Nationals had their third cut of the Spring sending six players to Triple A Syracuse and two non-roster invitees to their minor league camp.

Mar 8, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop

(60) celebrates with teammate

(23) after hitting a two run homerun scoring

(not pictured) during the bottom of the ninth inning of a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Pitchers Erik Davis, Ryan Perry and Yunesky Maya, infielder Chris Marrero, catcher Jhonatan Solano and outfielder Corey Brown were all sent to Syracuse. Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters, both not on the 40-man roster, were sent to minor league camp.

Later in the day it was reported that Chris Snyder was granted his release and he went on to sign a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

It was a good camp for Maya, Marrero and Walters in particular who showed that they can provide depth for the organization. For Marrero, he showed he is on his way back to being the player he was when he was the top prospect in the organization.

There are now 34 players in camp, and not many questions remain. Of the players not expected to be on the Opening Day roster only Christian Garcia, Cole Kimball and Carlos Rivero remain from the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees that remain include Chris Young, Fernando Abad, Jeremy Accardo, Carlos Maldonado and Micah Owings. (Note that, at least by my calculations, the 33 men in camp also includes Roger

For the non-roster invitees, it is a chance to secure a job for Opening Day even if it isn’t with the Major League club.

The Nationals are going with a lineup full of regulars today against the Detroit Tigers, and with regulars expecting to play nine innings soon, the need for multiple backups is no longer present.