Chavis, Rutherford, Harris free agents after cut from 40-man roster

The Nationals are cutting ties with infielder Michael Chavis, outfielder Blake Rutherford and reliever Hobie Harris, clearing necessary space on their 40-man roster as they prepare to enter the offseason.

Chavis, Rutherford and Harris cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Rochester. Both Chavis and Rutherford, who ended the season on the active big league roster, had the right to declare free agency and chose to do so, leaving the organization. Harris, who made the Opening Day bullpen but spent most of the season with Rochester, will be a minor league free agent at the conclusion of the World Series.

Those three moves, plus comparable moves with reliever Victor Arano and outfielder Travis Blankenhorn earlier this month, cleared a total of five spots on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, which ultimately will be needed for players who ended the season on the 60-day injured list.

The Nats had six such players on the 60-day IL at season’s end: catcher Riley Adams, outfielders Stone Garrett and Victor Robles, and right-handers Cade Cavalli, Carl Edwards Jr. and Stephen Strasburg. Edwards becomes eligible for free agency after the World Series and is unlikely to return.

Strasburg has already come to the conclusion he’ll need to retire after a failed attempt to return from thoracic outlet surgery, but until he and the organization come to an agreement on how to handle the $105 million he’s still owed through 2026, he will need to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.

Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, Chavis made the Nationals’ Opening Day roster as the final player on the bench. The 28-year-old wound up spending the entire season on the roster, though he took only 96 plate appearances in 48 games, batting .242 with three doubles, two homers, five RBIs and a .622 OPS while playing five different positions.

Rutherford, once a highly touted prospect for the Yankees and White Sox, produced a .964 OPS in 74 minor league games for Rochester and Double-A Harrisburg but struggled in two brief stints in the majors this season, going 6-for-35 with two RBIs, one walk and 10 strikeouts.

Harris made the Opening Day roster as a 29-year-old rookie reliever but finished with a 5.12 ERA and 1.759 WHIP in 16 games, twice optioned to Rochester during the course of the season.