Eddie Rosario of the Atlanta Braves catches a ball in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during Game Two of the Division Series at Truist Park on October 09, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Puerto Rican outfielder Eddie Rosario signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals, Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase reported on March 6.
Alvarez also reported on March 6 that Rosario has a split contract in which he could earn up to $4 million with incentives. The deal is pending a physical.
Rosario is a client of Rimas Sports and will play the rest of March in Major League camp, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on March 6.
Rosario, 32, was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, and has played nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins from 2015-20, the Cleveland Indians in 2021 and the Atlanta Braves from 2021-23.
Rosario led the American League in triples in 2015 and was the National League Championship Series MVP in 2021 when he helped Atlanta win their fourth World Series title and beat the Houston Astros in six games.
He elected free agency on Nov. 6, 2023 before signing with Washington.
Last season, Rosario played in 142 games, batting .255 over 516 plate appearances with 122 hits, 24 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 74 RBI, 34 walks, 122 strikeouts, and a .755 OPS.
The left-handed hitter played with Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic last March in Pool D at loanDepot Park in Miami. He played in left field in five games, batting .176 in 17 at-bats and with three hits, two runs scored, one double, two home runs, four RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Rosario signed a two-year contract with Atlanta that was worth $18 million, which included a club option for the 2024 season.
In 2022, Rosario played in 80 games during his second season with the Braves and hit .212 in 270 plate appearances smacking 53 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 24 RBI, 17 walks, 68 strikeouts, and a .587 OPS.
Rosario landed on the 10-day injured list on April 25, 2022 with blurred vision and swelling in his right retina. He was sent on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 25, 2022 and played in eight games hitting .273 with 37 plate appearances recording nine hits, two doubles, five RBI, four walks, and 11 strikeouts before he was activated on July 4, 2022.
Rosario started the 2021 season with Cleveland on a one-year contract that was worth $8 million. Rosario played in 78 games with the Indians and batted .254 over 306 plate appearances with 72 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 46 RBI, nine stolen bases, 17 walks, 47 strikeouts and a .685 OPS. He was traded on July 30, 2021, in a deal that included cash considerations in exchange for third baseman Pablo Sandoval.
He played in 33 games with the Braves and hit .271 in 106 plate appearances recording 26 hits, four doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 16 RBI, nine walks, and 14 strikeouts. Rosario hit .383 in the 2021 playoffs playing in 16 games with 60 at-bats, 23 hits, three doubles, one triple, three home runs, 11 RBI, eight walks, and 10 strikeouts.
Rosario also landed on the 10-day injured list with Cleveland in the 2021 season on July 7, 2021 with a right abdominal strain and was activated by the Braves on August 27, 2021.
During his nine seasons in MLB, Rosario has played in 1,030 games with 4,028 plate appearances, batting .268 with 1,011 hits, 189 doubles, 29 triples, 159 home runs, 548 RBI, 56 stolen bases, 210 walks, 790 strikeouts, and a .766 OPS.
Rosario will likely split time in left field with Jesse Winiker during spring training. Winiker is not on the depth chart on the Nationals website, but signed a minor league contract on Feb. 13, 2024 and was invited to big league camp. Winiker was assigned to Triple-A Rochester on Feb. 13. Joey Gallo, Stone Garrett, Alex Call, and Jake Alu are also listed on the depth chart in left field for the Nationals roster.
The Nationals will play their first game of the 2024 regular season on March 28 on the road against the Cincinnati Reds at 4:10 p.m EDT.
