The Nationals brought left-hander Konnor Pilkington back on a minor league contract, according to the MiLB.com transaction log. He’ll report to Triple-A Rochester. The tracker also indicates that Washington released righty reliever Trevor Gott from his minor league deal.
Pilkington returns to the team with which he made 32 appearances last season. He worked 28 1/3 innings of 4.45 ERA ball, striking out a strong 28% of opponents against an elevated 14% walk rate. Washington outrighted him off the 40-man roster over the winter. Pilkington elected free agency and signed a minor league contract with the Tigers.
The 6’3″ southpaw has spent the season with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate. Pilkington posted a 5.40 ERA over 33 1/3 frames while walking nearly 18% of his opponents. His stuff has also been down, as he’s averaging 92.1 mph on his fastball. He sat in the 94-95 range last season. Pilkington’s strikeout rate has dropped to 18.9% this year, but he has typically racked up strikeouts in the minor leagues. The Tigers released him last week.
Gott, 33, has spent the entire season in Rochester. He has a 3.55 ERA across 33 innings despite a 19% strikeout rate against a 10.6% walk percentage. Gott has pitched parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, compiling a 4.65 ERA across 255 career appearances. He hasn’t played at the MLB level in three years.
