Nationals To Call Up Lefty Jackson Kent

Overview

• Multiple outlets reported Monday that the Nationals intend to select Jackson Kent’s contract from Triple-A Rochester this week and add him to the major-league roster for his MLB debut.
• Kent is a 23-year-old fourth-round pick from the University of Arizona who works a three-pitch mix led by a mid-90s fastball and an above-average changeup.
• Triple-A numbers cited in coverage show 94 1/3 innings with strong strikeout (about 27.2%), walk and ground-ball rates, but publications differ on his ERA with figures reported at 3.72 and 4.38.
• The move uses the 40-man spot opened when Washington designated Zack Littell and follows the trade of Foster Griffin, and Kent will join the club’s rotation depth behind Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin and Andrew Alvarez.
• Because this is Kent’s first big-league call he retains three option years and several years of team control, which affects how long the Nationals can develop him and delays his arbitration eligibility until at least the 2029–30 offseason.