Washington Nationals Bring Back Familiar Lefty
The Nationals signed left-hander Konnor Pilkington to a minor league contract, bringing back the 28-year-old southpaw after he exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers earlier in the week.
The Path Back to Washington
Pilkington spent 2025 as a bullpen mainstay for the Nationals, appearing in 32 games out of the relief mix and posting a 4.45 ERA with a 34-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 28.1 innings.
Washington designated him for assignment in January following the acquisition of Tsung-Che Cheng, and Pilkington elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.
Two Triple-A moves:
— Nats.Talk (@TalkNats) July 2, 2026
-- RHP Trevor Gott released
-- LHP Konnor Pilkington signed as a free agent to a minor league contract
Pilkington had been with the Nats before and most recently in the Tigers organization
He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in February that included an invitation to spring training, but never cracked Detroit's roster.
Pilkington posted a 5.40 ERA, a 1.68 WHIP, and a 30-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 33.1 innings in 23 appearances at Triple-A Toledo before triggering his opt-out and returning to the organization that gave him his most recent big league run.
What He Brings
Pilkington's story took a turn for the better when Washington moved him permanently to the bullpen in 2025.
Starters who shift to relief often see a velocity bump, and the veteran lefty saw his fastball climb more than 2 mph as a reliever while raising his slider usage, with the pitch notching an elite 46.3 percent whiff rate.
The lingering issue has always been his command.
Nationals signed LHP Konnor Pilkington to a minor-league deal today. 29-year-old had 4.45 ERA, 1.376 WHIP, 34 K in 28.1 IP for them last season. Was recently released by Tigers after posting 5.40 ERA, 1.680 WHIP in 33.1 IP at Triple-A Toledo.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) July 2, 2026
Pilkington pushed his strikeout rate to a career-best 27.6 percent in Washington last season, but his walk rate climbed to 13.8 percent, continuing a longstanding control problem that has followed him since his early days in pro ball.
A former third-round pick of the White Sox in 2018, Pilkington came up as a starter with Cleveland in 2022 and has since pitched for the Guardians, Nationals, and in the Diamondbacks and Tigers systems.
He will add bullpen depth for the Nats at Triple-A Rochester and gives Washington a familiar left-handed option to call on as the season progresses, with a chance to reclaim the relief role he held a year ago if he can rein in the walks.
