Lawrence cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.
Analysis:Lawrence had the right to elect free agency, but he will instead accept the assignment and remain in the organization as bullpen depth at Rochester. The 31-year-old has struggled mightily in the majors this season, posting a 7.34 ERA and 1.95 WHIP over 34.1 innings between Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Washington. He will likely need to show drastic improvement in the minors before getting another opportunity to work out of the Nationals' bullpen.
