Nick Senzel Could See Regular Playing Time At Second Base
With Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (groin) potentially returning from the injured list soon and Lenyn Sosa sent to Triple-A Charlotte, it seems as though the newly signed Nick Senzel could be set to take over the majority of time at second base with his new team. The No. 2 overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds back in 2016 out of Tennessee was released by the Washington Nationals recently after hitting just .209/.303/.359 with a .663 OPS, seven home runs, 18 RBI and 25 runs scored in 64 games played. The 29-year-old will get another shot at regular playing time but may have to battle for starts with rookie Brooks Baldwin at the keystone. With the worst team in baseball, Senzel won't suddenly become attractive to fantasy managers in mixed leagues, but he could be worth a pickup in AL-only formats for infield depth.
Free-agent infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel signed a major-league deal with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Senzel was recently released by the Washington Nationals after being designated for assignment and going unclaimed on waivers. The 29-year-old former second overall pick in 2016 out of Tennessee by the Cincinnati Reds didn't pan out as the Nationals' third baseman in the first half of the 2024 season, slashing just .209/.303/.359 with a .663 OPS, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 25 runs scored and 53 strikeouts in 235 trips to the plate in 64 games in his sixth year in the big leagues. Senzel will now get an opportunity with the worst team in baseball and could get a shot at the hot corner in the Windy City, at least until Yoan Moncada (groin) returns from the injured list. Senzel also has experience as an outfielder, though, so he could get some playing time there as well.
The Washington Nationals have requested unconditional release waivers on third baseman Nick Senzel on Friday after designating him for assignment last weekend. Senzel has been a first-round bust, first with the Cincinnati Reds for five years, and now in D.C. He played in only 64 games for Washington in 2024 before being cut, hitting just .209 (43-for-206) with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 25 runs scored and 53 strikeouts in 235 plate appearances. Injuries stifled his development early in his career with Cincinnati, and he carries a career slash line of .235/.302/.368 with a .670 OPS, 40 home runs, 143 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 441 games. Another organization will probably take a flier on Senzel, but it will likely be on a minor-league deal, and he'll have to earn a trip back to the big leagues in another city this year.
The Washington Nationals have designated third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel for assignment. In a corresponding move, the team recalled rookie infielder Trey Lipscomb. A former top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system, Senzel was signed in the offseason by the Nationals. He hit .209 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 25 runs scored, and a stolen base. While his walk rate of 11.5% was great, his hard-hit rate was in the seventh percentile. It was coupled with an average exit velocity in the third percentile, which led to his release on Saturday. Senzel should find work elsewhere if he clears waivers this coming week.
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel will start Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on the bench. In his absence, Ildemaro Vargas will get the start at third base and will bat seventh in the order versus Rays right-hander Taj Bradley. Senzel will get a day to rest after starting in each of the team's last nine games. The 29-year-old former top prospect of the Cincinnati Reds has struggled of late as well, batting just .140 (6-for-43) with a homer, double, two RBI, three walks and 10 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances in his last 13 games since June 13. Senzel does have seven home runs in 190 at-bats, but otherwise he hasn't done much for fantasy managers with a .216 average (41-for-190) with 18 RBI and 23 runs scored in his first year with the Nat. Vargas is a low-upside DFS sleeper who has never faced Bradley in his career.
Nick Senzel Tallies Three Hits and Three RBI On Saturday
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel went 3-for-3 at the plate on Saturday with two doubles, a home run, and a walk to lead the Nationals to a victory over the Atlanta Braves. Senzel hit his first double in the second inning and came around to score off a CJ Abrams single. Then, in the fourth, the 28-year-old knocked his second double of the afternoon, which scored Luis Garcia Jr. To cap off the day, he launched a two-run shot in the sixth and scored Keibert Ruiz to put the game out of reach. Senzel will take a solid .243/.352/.441 line with six home runs into Sunday's series finale and will continue to be a solid third base/outfield option all season and is worth deploying in favorable matchups in DFS.
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (knee) is back at the hot corner and is batting sixth for the Nationals on Thursday in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ryan Kerr. Senzel fouled a ball off his right knee in Wednesday's contest and had to be removed, but the 28-year-old former first-rounder of the Cincinnati Reds will return the very next day. He has not cleared the fences in the last 22 games while hitting .231 (15-for-65) with three doubles, four RBI, 14 walks and 18 strikeouts in 79 plate appearances in 22 games in the month of May. Senzel has yet to steal a base but has decent enough power to be worth rostering as corner-infield depth in deeper fantasy leagues as the Nationals' regular third baseman when he's healthy.
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (knee) exited Wednesday's game against the division-rival Atlanta Braves in the second inning with an apparent knee injury. Senzel fouled a ball off his right knee before drawing a walk in his first at-bat of the game, and he appeared to be in pain before he was removed from the contest. Utility man Ildemaro Vargas pinch-ran for Senzel and took over at third base for the Nats. The 28-year-old lefty-mashing Senzel hasn't been a consistent member of Washington's lineup this year, slashing a middling .224/.336/.402 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored in 126 plate appearances (34 games) as a part-time player at the hot corner. Vargas would be worth a look in NL-only leagues if Senzel needs to miss time, slashing .301/.387/.409 with 10 doubles, 11 RBI, and four stolen bases over 93 at-bats.
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will handle third base duties and will hit eighth against Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck. Senzel does have five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 70 at-bats of the year after getting hurt just before Opening Day and missing some time, but frequent strikeouts aren't helping his overall fantasy cause. The 28-year-old former second overall pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 out of Tennessee is batting just .214 (15-for-70) with eight walks and 26 strikeouts. He's going to need to do more the rest of the way to hold Lipscomb or others off at the hot corner for regular playing time. Lipscomb has gone 22-for-90 (.244) with a homer, six RBI and six steals in his first 27 MLB games.
Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) remains under the weather on Friday against the Miami Marlins and is not in the starting lineup. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit out of the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who will be making his major-league debut. Senzel was scratched from Thursday's lineup, so this will be his second straight missed game. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to check back on Saturday to see if Senzel is feeling well enough to play. The 28-year-old opened the year on the injured list and has only five hits (two home runs) in his first 25 at-bats with the Nationals. Lipscomb has gone 11-for-53 (.208) with a homer, four RBI and four steals in his first 16 big-league games this year.
