Nationals select contract of right-hander Matt Albers

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Matt Albers from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday and designated right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Albers, a veteran of 11 Major League seasons and 452 big league games, was a non-roster invitee to the Nationals' 2017 spring training. The right-hander did not allow a run in 10 spring games (11.2 innings of work), scattering 10 hits, three walks, one hit batter, and six strikeouts over the Grapefruit League season. A career 29-37 with a 4.38 ERA, Albers appeared in 88 games over the past two seasons (2015-16) with the Chicago White Sox. From 2012-2015, the Texas native excelled in a relief role, going 8-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 157 games over stops with Boston, Arizona, Cleveland, Houston and Chicago (AL). While with the White Sox, Albers posted a 30-game (33.1 IP) scoreless streak that spanned from Aug. 5, 2015 to April 24, 2016 and marked a White Sox record (for games). Guthrie, 38, had his contract selected by Washington on Saturday. The right-handed made one start for the Nationals, allowing 10 earned runs in 0.2 innings of work in a 17-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.