Nationals acquire Carson Palmquist, option left-hander to Triple-A Rochester
Washington added a left-handed arm with big-league experience and sent him to Rochester, where Carson Palmquist will try to turn a shaky Triple-A line into a depth callup.
The Nationals bought a left-handed pitching option for cash and sent Carson Palmquist straight to Triple-A Rochester, a move that also pushed Max Kranick to the 60-day injured list and opened a 40-man spot for another arm in Washington’s system.
Palmquist arrives in Rochester with a profile that is easy to explain and harder to project. The 25-year-old struck out 24 batters in 25 innings for Triple-A Albuquerque this season, but he also issued 19 walks and finished with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.16 WHIP across 12 appearances, including five starts. That kind of line is exactly why a team can take a low-cost swing on him: the left hand, the experience, and the possibility that better run prevention is still in there if the command sharpens.
Colorado had designated Palmquist for assignment on Thursday, May 21, after needing a roster opening for infielder Chad Stevens. The Rockies had taken Palmquist in the third round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Miami, 88th overall, and he reached the majors last season. He made his big-league debut at Arizona on May 16, 2025, and has since logged nine games, seven of them starts, with a 0-4 record and an 8.91 ERA.
For Washington, the appeal is less about the transaction itself than the layer of depth it creates behind the major league staff. Kranick, who signed a one-year deal in early May, had been working back from right elbow surgery and threw a bullpen session on May 22 before being moved to the 60-day injured list. That move gave the Nationals room to add Palmquist without touching the rest of the roster structure.
Rochester now gets a left-hander with a real chance to matter if the strike-throwing improves. Washington, meanwhile, turned a cash deal into a controllable arm who has already seen Major League Baseball and can be developed in the high-volume pressure of Triple-A. In a season where pitching depth can vanish quickly, Palmquist is the kind of move that can look minor in May and relevant by midsummer.
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