Jefry Rodriguez returns to Nationals on minor league deal after being non-tendered by Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jefry Rodriguez is heading back to Washington after two injury-filled seasons with the Cleveland Indians.

The club non-tendered Rodriguez earlier this month in order to create space on its 40-man roster, despite having one remaining pre-arbitration year of control over the 6-foot-6, 232-pound righty. Rodriguez came to Cleveland along with outfielder Daniel Johnson in November of 2018 in the Yan Gomes trade.

He made 10 appearances in 2019 with the Indians including eight starts. He posted a 4.63 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 46 2/3 innings while battling a shoulder strain that caused him to miss more than three months that season.

Jefry Rodriguez strikes out Chicago’s Nicky Delmonico with a fastball.

Rodriguez spent the entire 2020 season at the club’s alternate training site in Lake County while dealing with a sore back.

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reported Monday that the Nationals signed Rodriguez to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training. He will reportedly be given a chance to earn a 40-man roster spot and could also provide starting rotation depth at the Triple-A level for the club.

Rodriguez rescued Cleveland’s starting rotation early in the 2019 season when Mike Clevinger went down with a strained back muscle. He made eight starts from mid-April through the end of May, but left his outing against Chicago on June 1 after four innings. Rodriguez spent the next three months recovering from a shoulder strain at the Indians training complex in Goodyear, Ariz. before making two relief appearances at the end of September.

Rodriguez started the spring training exhibition opener for Cleveland back on Feb. 22, but his role as either a starter or reliever seemed to change depending on what day you asked. Signed by the Nationals in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez fits the profile of a big, hard-throwing righty out of the bullpen, but has shown flashes that he can carry a starter’s workload as well.

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