The Washington Nationals have signed utility player Nick Senzel to a major league deal worth $2 million and up to $1 million in additional performance bonuses, Jon Heyman announced on Twitter this morning.

Senzel, 28, is a former number two overall draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 draft and a former top prospect in the league—ranked 7th by Fangraphs—leading up to his big league debut in 2019. Senzel started 2018 with Triple-A Louisville, hitting to a 149 wRC+ until tearing a ligament in his right index finger in June and undergoing season-ending surgery.

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Injuries would become a common thread in Senzel’s career, as he failed to play more than 110 games in a single major league season and has never recorded a single-season wRC+ at or above 90. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported in August that Senzel expected to be moved at the trade deadline this past season, leading up to the Reds ultimately cutting bait on him at the arbitration deadline.

Defensively, Senzel provides inherent value in an ability to play multiple positions: he has spent considerable amounts of time at second and third base while also being able to occupy the outfield. His defense overall has regressed in the wake of injury, as he posted miserable numbers per advanced defensive metrics in limited time in center field this season.

Still, the Nationals have acquired a former top prospect on the cheap and will hope to reawaken something in Senzel. If all goes well, Senzel still carries with him one more season of team control. The signing comes within 24 hours of the Nationals selecting middle infield defensive specialist Nasim Núñez from the Miami Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft.

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