Penrod is a former Red Sox farmhand who made seven appearances for Boston in 2024. Paul Toboni, president of national baseball operations, was assistant general manager for the Sox at the time. Penrod worked four innings of two-run ball, albeit with five free passes (four walks and a hit batter) against three strikeouts.
The Red Sox named Penrod for assignment last May in the aftermath of the Rafael Devers trade. They had acquired two players on the 40-man (Jordan Hicks And Kyle Harrison) in that deal and had to cut someone from the roster. Boston traded Penrod to the Dodgers for cash. He was on the 40-man roster for six weeks, but did not appear in the big league in Los Angeles. They placed him off straight waivers in August, and he opted for minor league free agency at the end of the season.
Penrod has had a tough year in Triple-A. He allowed nearly eight earned runs per nine in 33 1/3 innings. Penrod’s command was unworkable as he walked over 20% of opponents. The 28-year-old southpaw has always struggled with throwing strikes, but has a three-pitch mix (fastball, slider and changeup) that has intrigued the Nats. He’s sitting at about 95 MPH on the heater.
Washington’s bullpen is wide open. Their only reliever with even two years of MLB service time is right Julian Fernandezand almost all of that happened while he was on the wounded list. (He has 10 career appearances.) Every reliever on the 40-man roster has minor league options left, with only Rule 5 picks Griff McGarry required to remain on the MLB roster. There are plenty of opportunities for minor league free agents to try and earn a spot.
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