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Nationals sign Sean Burnett, Reed Johnson to minor league deals

The Washington Nationals announced this afternoon that veteran reliever Sean Burnett and veteran bench bat Reed Johnson signed minor league deals with invitations for each to major league Spring Training.

By Patrick Reddington
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

The Washington Nationals announced this afternoon that they signed veteran left-hander Sean Burnett and veteran bench bat Reed Johnson to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training.

Burnett, 33, pitched for the Nats between 2010-2012 after he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected the reliever with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2000 Draft.

Burnett put up a 2.81 ERA over 201 ⅔ innings out of the Nationals' bullpen following the June 2009 trade that brought him and outfielder Nyjer Morgan over from the Pirates in exchance for right-handed reliever Joel Hanrahan and outfielder Lastings Milledge.

He signed with the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent following the 2012 campaign, but made just 16 appearances total for LA while dealing with elbow issues. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery in June of 2014.

Reed Johnson, 38, joined the Nationals last Spring after he was released by the Miami Marlins in late March, agreeing on a minor league deal that paid him $1M in the majors.

He didn't last long, however, suffering an injury to his left foot in late April which eventually required surgery to repair a torn tendon. Johnson then suffered a broken rib (sneezing) while he was on a minor league rehab assignment.

Johnson ended up playing in just 17 games total in 2015, going 5 for 22 with a double and six Ks in 24 plate appearances.

In his career, Johnson has a .272/.328/.386 line, 15 doubles and six home runs as a pinch hitter.

ICYMI: MLB.com's Bill Ladson also confirmed with Rick Schu that he'll be returning to his role as the Nationals' hitting coach as Dusty Baker hinted last week:

We're also voting for MLB's Hitter of the Year:

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