Nationals release veteran reliever Strickland

The Washington Nationals released veteran reliever Hunter Strickland as part of a flurry of roster moves Saturday, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

Strickland was acquired by the Nats at last year's trade deadline as part of a five-player deal with the Seattle Mariners. However, he was coming off an injury at the time and did not prove to be the impact bullpen arm Washington expected.

In 24 appearances for the Nats, the six-year veteran posted a 5.14 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 15 strikeouts, eight walks, and five home runs allowed. Strickland only pitched twice in the playoffs, allowing homers to three of the 11 batters he faced in the NLDS.

The 31-year-old's struggles continued into the spring, as he owned a 10.80 ERA and 1.95 WHIP across seven Grapefruit League outings.

Strickland re-signed with the Nats on a one-year, $1.6-million contract this winter. By releasing him now, Washington will only be on the hook for approximately one-quarter of that amount, according to Zuckerman.

The move also opens up a 40-man roster spot, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

Washington released right-hander David Hernandez, who was in camp on a minor-league deal, on Saturday as well, according to Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press. The team also optioned four players to Triple-A and reassigned seven players to its minor-league camp.

The Nationals made the roster moves despite MLB suspending operations this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there has been some talk of a league-wide roster freeze during the suspension, Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Friday that teams had not yet received "that directive in any formal way" from MLB, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo.