Nationals Claim Starting Pitcher Off Waivers With Elite Strikeout Numbers

The Washington Nationals kept their waiver wire churn going by claiming left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk from the Tampa Bay Rays, then designating right-hander George Soriano for assignment to open the roster spot. 

Waldichuk was only in Tampa Bay briefly after the Rays DFA’d him to create room following a separate roster move, and Washington pounced on the upside play.

Why Ken Waldichuk is still a worthwhile gamble

Waldichuk is 28 now, but the pedigree still matters. 

He was once a notable prospect, made a Futures Game appearance, and was ranked among the Athletics’ better names on the way up after Oakland landed him from the New York Yankees in the Frankie Montas trade. 

In the minors across 2021 and 2022, he piled up strong results over 205 innings with a 2.94 ERA and huge swing and miss ability, including a 35.3% strikeout rate, even if the walks ran a bit high. 

Whoever picks up @Ken_Waldichuk is getting an absolute steal.

Hardest avg and top FB velocity since pre TJ (and it was a bullpen).

Shapes are coming together. Big year ahead for him as he returns to his former self 🐐@TreadHQ https://t.co/KkDaJxhtBZ pic.twitter.com/Ql0bblWB5s

— Turner Givens (@TurnerGivens) February 3, 2026

The big leagues have been rough so far, with a 5.36 ERA in a lengthy 2023 run, and Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 and spilled into his 2025 return, when the command and results did not fully rebound, but the strikeouts have remained part of the profile. 

Waldichuk also ranks eighth in all of Minor League Baseball (min. 275.0 IP) with 13.02 strikeouts per 9.0 innings since the start of the 2019 season.

Why George Soriano got squeezed out again

Soriano, who turns 27 in March, has bounced around lately because teams still like the raw ingredients even if the MLB results have not clicked yet. 

He has 118 major league innings over the last three seasons with a 5.95 ERA, but he posted a much more convincing line at Triple A last year, including a 2.32 ERA in 42.2 innings, a 28.8% strikeout rate, an 8.8% walk rate, and a heavy 55.7% ground ball rate. 

The Washington Nationals have claimed LHP Ken Waldichuk.

Waldichuk ranks eighth in all of Minor League Baseball (min. 275.0 IP) with 13.02 strikeouts per 9.0 innings since the start of the 2019 season.

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) February 5, 2026

The problem is that he is out of options, so any club that wants to keep him has to carry him on the active roster, and Washington chose the more flexible bet in Waldichuk, who can still be stashed if needed while the Nationals sort out a rotation picture that is light on certainty. 

Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images