TODAY : The Nationals announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on Lowe. AUGUST 14 : The Nationals announced Thursday that theyve designated first baseman for a signment. Hell be the corresponding move to open an active roster spot for , whose from the 60-day injured list is now official. Its an unexpected end to whatll go down as a lackluster tenure with the Nats for Lowe, whom Washington acquired from the Rangers over the winter. The Nats sent lefty to Texas in hopes that Lowe, who came to D.C. with two years of club control remaining, could be a multi-year option providing middle-of-the-order punch to a young lineup. It hasnt gone as hoped, to say the least. Lowe, 30, was a steady source of production with the Rangers from 2021-24, hitting .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+) with 78 home runs including a career-high 27 round-trippers back in Evan Fournier Jersey 2022. He hasnt come anywhere near that level of production with the Nationals. In 490 plate appearances, hes batted just .216/.292/.373 with a 26.5% strikeout rate that stands as the highest of his career in a full season. Lowes 9.6% walk rate is better than average but still the second-lowest of his career and a ways shy of the 11.3% clip he recorded during that four-year peak with the Rangers. Lowe hit a grand slam yesterday, his first homer since July 19, but that was just his third hit in the month of August despite regular playing time. He hasnt had a multi-hit game since July 18 and is batting only .167/.271/.294 in his past 36 games (144 plate appearances). The home run yesterday was a big hit but not enough for Lowe to save his job with the Nats. The Nationals likely explored potential deals for Lowe prior to the trade deadline, but his ongoing slump and fairly hefty $10.3MM salary wouldve served as significant impediments to finding a deal. With the deadline now behind them, the Nats will have no recourse other than to place Lowe on outright waivers or release waivers. At this point, thats little more than a paper distinction. Lowe cro sed five years of major league service time le s than a month into the season, meaning he can reject an outright a signment in favor of free agency and still retain the remainder of that guarantee as he heads to the open market. All 29 other teams will have the opportunity to claim Lowe, but in light of his immense struggles, its hard to see another team claiming the remaining $2.49MM on his contract. If Lowe pa ses through waivers unclaimed, hell become a free agent who can sign with any team. A new team would only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. The Nationals will remain on the hook for the rest of his salary. If Lowe can catch on elsewhere and return to form, hed technically remain under club control with that new team through 2026. However, hed be due a (small) raise on that $10.3MM salary, so hed need to make quite the impre sion in the final few weeks of the season in order to convince a new club that hes worthy of an $11MM+ expenditure. The Nationals were clearly going to non-tender him they wouldnt have made this move if not and in all likelihood Lowe will be a free agent in search of rebound opportunities this winter. The Nats have up to five days to place Lowe on waivers. If they wait the maximum amount of time, that guaranteed salary will drop slightly, to about $2.2MM, but its still unlikely that another club would claim that sum. With Lowe out the door in D.C., the Nats can give increased first base reps to a resurgent , which would free up the DH spot to rotate several young players. Alternative options at first bae in the upper minors include , and , though of that trio only Lipscomb is on the 40-man roster and both Yepez and Morales have struggled in Triple-A. Aaron Gordon Jersey