Nationals DFA Former World Series Champ After Hitting Just .120

Hopes were so high when he was delivering an exciting rookie season in 2019 and helping the Washington Nationals to the World Series title that October. But after his 17 home run, 28 stolen base debut, it's been a struggle for Victor Robles in the four+ years since. Now, his time in D.C. has come to an end, as the Nationals have designated him for assignment.

The Victor Robles experience is over ladies and gentleman.

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. pic.twitter.com/qCOfee7JxN
— Talkin Nats (@TalkinNats) May 27, 2024

Lane Thomas was reinstated from the injured list, prompting the move to DFA Robles.

The Dominican outfielder was an elite prospect for years, ranking No. 1 on the Nationals’ list every season from 2017 to 2019. Baseball America even had him ranked as high as No. 5 overall in the sport going into the 2018 season.

Robles, 27, was one of the few remaining players from the 2019 World Series champions. In all, he played 530 games over parts of 8 seasons with the Nats, hitting a combined .236 with 31 homers and 70 bags swiped with an 81 OPS+.

But after those 17 dingers in his rookie year, he hasn't topped six since then. Nor has he come close to approaching his 127 OPS+, in fact, finishing as a negative in that stat class nearly every season. This year, Robles was hitting just .120 in 33 at-bats with an OPS+ of 24.