The Washington Nationals designated right-hander Max Kranick for assignment on Friday, clearing a 40-man roster spot after selecting the contract of Triple-A reliever Jack Sinclair. The moves were revealed on the MLB.com transaction log.
Kranick, 29, has been in the majors since 2021, when he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a starter. The Scranton, Pennsylvania, native was an 11th-round pick out of Valley View High School in 2016.
He later pitched for the New York Mets before Washington signed him in May on a one-year, $800,000 deal with a club option for 2027.
At the time, he was still rehabbing from flexor tendon surgery he had in July 2025 while with the Mets. The Nationals hoped a healthy Kranick would give a worn-down relief staff some veteran innings. That did not happen.
He came off the injured list in mid-July and made 17 appearances. The results were poor: an 0-1 record, a 9.33 ERA, 27 hits and 13 walks in 18 1/3 innings, and only 11 strikeouts.
His strikeout rate sat at 11.7 percent and his walk rate at 13.8 percent. A .354 batting average on balls in play and a 62.1 percent strand rate suggest some misfortune, but a 7.02 FIP and 6.05 SIERA pointed to real command and stuff issues, not just luck. In his last three outings he allowed nine runs over 3 2/3 innings.
Over the course of his career, he has gone 5-6 with a 5.55 ERA in 99 innings across 52 games, including nine starts.
Because Kranick is out of options, the club had to remove him from the 40-man roster rather than send him to Rochester. The trade deadline has passed, so he will be placed on waivers in the coming days.
A claim would not be a shock given his major-league experience, but his 2026 numbers make it far from certain. If he clears, Washington could outright him to Triple-A or he could elect free agency.
Sinclair, 27, arrives after 60 1/3 innings at Rochester with a 4.03 ERA, 74 strikeouts and four homers allowed. He is expected to make his major-league debut during the Nationals’ West Coast trip, which opened Friday night in Los Angeles.
Left-hander Tom Cosgrove, designated earlier in the week, cleared waivers and was assigned to Rochester.
For a Nationals club sitting 67-75 and fourth in the NL East, the DFA is another reminder that midseason bullpen bets have not paid off. Kranick’s major-league run now heads into another uncertain chapter.
