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Nationals recall Aaron Barrett, option Xavier Cedeno to Triple-A Syracuse

As soon as he was eligible to return, the Washington Nationals recalled right-hander Aaron Barrett from Triple-A Syracuse, bringing the hard-throwing reliever back to the nation's capital. Xavier Cedeno was optioned to Syracuse to make room.

By Patrick Reddington
Mitchell Layton

It's probably an all-too familiar process for Washington Nationals' lefty Xavier Cedeno, who was up and down between D.C. and Triple-A Syracuse all last summer. This afternoon, the 27-year-old reliever was optioned to Triple-A after a brief stay in the Nats' bullpen during which he made one appearance, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless last night against the LA Angels.

"Hard sink certainly to his arm side. Good slider. It's more of what I saw in the fall league, I think it's a tick up though." - Matt Williams on Aaron Barrett this spring

Cedeno was moved once more to make room for returning right-hander Aaron Barrett, 10 days after Barrett, 26, was sent to the Nationals' top affiliate so Washington could get a fresh arm in the 'pen in the form of Blake Treinen.

Barrett surprised many by making the Nats' bullpen out of Spring Training after saving two Grapefruit League games and putting together 10 2/3 scoreless innings over which he walked no one and struck out eight batters, while holding opposing hitters to a .147 average. The Nationals' 2010 9th Round pick was coming off a 2013 campaign at Double-A Harrisburg in which he put up a 2.15 ERA, a 1.99 FIP, 15 walks (2.68 BB/9) ad 69 Ks (12.34 K/9) in 51 games and 50 1/3 IP over which he had 26 saves.

In 4 1/3 IP scoreless at the start of this season, Barrett gave up just one hit while walking two and striking out six. In his brief 10-day stint in Syracuse, the righty threw 2 1/3 scoreless.

The Nationals announced that he was being recalled on Twitter within the last hour:

Nats' skipper Matt Williams showed a willingness to use Barrett in tough situations early in his rookie campaign in the majors.

"We have confidence in all of our guys," Williams explained after Barrett's MLB debut in the ninth inning of a tie game on Opening Day in Citi Field. "When the situation called for it, he matched up well against the guys that were coming up we thought, and he's ready to pitch every day, so we got him out there. He did great."

The move to send him down ten days ago was one made strictly out of necessity.

"'He has done everything we’ve asked him to do, and above and beyond,'" Williams told reporters including the Washington Post's James Wagner. "'But the way our bullpen is situated right now, we needed a guy that could give us length.'" Williams said then that Barrett would be back up soon and ten days later he's returning in time for the second game of three with the LA Angels in D.C.

• Here's the Nationals' lineup for tonight's game with Los Angeles:

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