Aug 17, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder
Michael Taylor(18) scores on an error by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman
Ike Davis(not shown) as catcher
Russell Martin(55) does not control the throw during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Nationals continue to take advantage of September’s expanded roster, calling up two more players before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Phillies.
Having already recalled Aaron Barrett, Xavier Cedeno, Sandy Leon, Tyler Moore, Blake Treinen and Jeff Kobernus from Triple-A Syracuse, the Nationals have added reliever Ryan Mattheus and outfielder Michael Taylor to the active roster in their most recent round of September call-ups.
After a slow and injury-plagued Spring Training caused Mattheus to miss out on the Opening Day roster, the 30-year-old reliever has spent most of the season in the minors, where he went 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 36 games this season. Mattheus has thrown 5 2/3 scoreless innings in four games with the Nationals this season.
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Taylor will be making his second big league stint of the season. The outfielder went 3-for-18 with one homer and two RBIs during his first stint with the Nationals last month. While he struggled a bit in his first career big league stint, Taylor has been one of the Nationals’ best minor leaguers this season.
Taylor, 23, has shown why he is considered the Nationals’ No. 3 prospect, hitting .304 with a .390 on-base percentage and a .526 slugging percentage in 110 games with Double-A Harrisburg and Syracuse. The Nationals outfielder was named the Double-A Eastern League MVP after his excellent season and could be a big help for the Nationals down the stretch.
With today’s additions, the Nationals’ active roster now stands at 34 players.