As Spring Training nears for the Nats, the question of who will make the big league team begins to fester. Perhaps even more intriguing than this is who will be on the 40-man roster and who will be removed. Here are three players who should not be on the Nationals 40-man roster.
The Carter Kieboom Experiment is Over
I really like Carter Kieboom but things just have not worked out during his time in D.C. The former first-round pick has struggled to find a groove offensively and numerous injuries haven't helped. Kieboom missed the entire 2022 season because of an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery. He is a career .199 hitter across 508 major league plate appearances. It stinks, especially considering how well he has played in the minor leagues at times. From 2017 to 2019, Kieboom had great minor league success. In 2019, Kieboom hit over .300 at Triple-A and had a .902 OPS. Davey Martinez lamented in 2021 how Kieboom was not very consistent at the plate even as his defense had greatly improved. As much as I would like to see Kieboom succeed, his time with the Nats is just about up barring a blistering Spring Training hot streak. With Jake Alu and Ildemaro Vargas on the roster, Kieboom would be extremely fortunate to even land a bench role.
The Nationals have enough strong Outfield defense to where they do not need Alex Call
At times, Alex Call has been extremely fun to watch in a Nats uniform. At other times, his struggles seem to last weeks, even months. Call's defense was very good in 2023 as he only had 1 error all season in 123 games to go with 7 defensive runs saved. However, his offensive numbers have been atrocious. Weak contact to go with a .200 batting average speaks for itself and with another defensive-first outfielder in Victor Robles, not to mention the fast rising Jacob Young, there isn't much room for Call on the roster. With a plethora of great minor league outfielders on the way, like James Wood and Dylan Crews, Call's time on the roster seems limited.
We know who Joan Adon is at this point
Joan Adon intrigued Nats' fans with a good debut game on the final day of the 2021 season. Since that game, he has struggled immensely, putting together a 3-16 record across 24 starts with an ERA of 6.66 - surely not any sort of sign. Adon gives up a lot of hits and it is hard to see him sticking around for much longer. Jackson Rutledge would most likely be the injury replacement to start the season and with guys like D.J. Herz, Cole Henry and others on the rise, time has simply run out for Adon to figure things out. He may stick around in the organization for pitching depth, but I do not see the Nats giving him a 40 man spot for much longer.
There are certainly other players who could be removed from the 40-man roster as the season nears. Who do you think will be removed?