The Nationals announced Wednesday that Delon Wright Jersey theyve claimed right-handed reliever off waivers from the Mariners. Hes been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Infielder/outfielder was designated for a signment in a corresponding roster move. The 26-year-old Lao made his major league debut with Seattle this summer but has only pitched 3 1/3 innings in the bigs. Hes allowed three runs with a 4-to-1 K/BB ratio in that tiny sample of work but has otherwise spent the season in Triple-A Tacoma, where hes pitched quite well. In 69 innings of relief with the Mariners top affiliate, Lao logged a 3.13 ERA with a hearty 25.9% strikeout rate against a 6.7% walk rate. Originally signed by the Dodgers as an amateur, Lao is a former third baseman whos still relatively new to pitching. He moved to the mound full-time in 2023 and has shown a quick aptitude for relief work. Hes posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his three minor league seasons since transitioning to the mound, and he hasnt shown the type of command troubles that are common for former position players. To the contrary hes faced 748 hitters in his three minor league seasons and only walked 51 of them (6.8%). Lao isnt a flamethrower but sits at a roughly average 93.5 mph on his four-seamer. He pairs that pitch with a sinker that also sits 93 mph as well as a slider and changeup both in the mid-to-upper 80s. Since he was just selected to a 40-man roster for the first time this year, Lao is in his first minor league option season and will be optionable for two more years. If he can carve out a role for himself in D.C., the Nats can control him all the way through the 2031 season. Baker, 26, is the son of Hall of Famer and former Nationals skipper Dusty Baker. He made his big league debut as a September call-up with Washington last year, going 7-for-14 with a pair of doubles. Hes spent the past three seasons in Triple-A with the Nats, regularly hitting for average but contributing virtually no power. Baker has only walked at a slightly above-average clip as well, leaving him with an overall .274/.345/.336 batting line in nearly 1300 Triple-A plate appearances. Baker runs well, evidenced by an 83-for-99 showing in stolen base attempts acro s 309 Triple-A contests. Defensively, hes spent the majority of his career at second base, with more than 2500 innings at the position. Hes also logged a bit more than 1000 innings in the outfield 968 of them coming in left and 58 in center field. Washington selected him in the 10th round of the 2021 draft. Now that Baker has been designated for a signment, hell head to outright waivers. He hasnt cleared previously and doesnt have the service time to reject a minor league a signment, so if he goes unclaimed hell stick with the Nats as a depth option. Saban Lee Jersey