Roster News

Text of press release issued today about Nationals roster moves:

NATIONALS OUTRIGHT RYAN LANGERHANS & LAVALE SPEIGNER TO SYRACUSE, CHARLIE MANNING CLAIMED BY CARDINALS

The Washington Nationals today announced that outfielder Ryan Langerhans and right-handed pitcher Lavale Speigner cleared waivers and were outrighted to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. The Nationals also announced that left-handed pitcher Charlie Manning was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden made these announcements.

The Nationals now have 36 players on their 40-man roster, not including five players on the 60-Day Disabled List.

Langerhans, 28, batted .234 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 73 games with Washington this season, and hit .310 with three home runs and 31 RBI in 62 games with Triple-A Columbus. Speigner, 28, appeared in seven games with the Nationals, going 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA, and went 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in a combined 35 games (one start) with Columbus and Double-A Harrisburg. Manning, 29, had a 1-3 record with a 5.14 ERA in 57 relief outings with the Nationals, after beginning the season with Columbus where he had six saves and a 1.95 ERA in 19 appearances.

BOTTOM(FEEDER) LINE: Of course Manning would get claimed. He's left-handed and has a pulse. Langerhans and Speigner are solidly in the category of "organizational depth" right now, and hopefully will have a solid season in up-state New York next summer, because if either one of them are in DC for any extended period of time, that means the Nats have been killed by injuries yet again.