The Nationals have re-signed 38-year old righty swinging catcher Jamie Burke to a minor league deal. Burke played in 19 games for the Mariners and Nationals last season and he was 6 for 51 (.118 avg, .340 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. He has now played in 190 games in his 7-year major league career and he is 108 for 390 (.277 avg, .679 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 3 homers and 39 RBIs. It’s always good to have a veteran catcher to teach young pitchers what it takes in the majors and Burke can definitely do that.

The Nationals have re-signed 27-year old righty Logan Kensing to a minor league deal. Kensing pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Marlins and Nationals last season and he was 1-2 with 1 save, a 8.92 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP. Kensing has now pitched in 134 games (3 starts) in his major league career and he is 8-9 with 2 saves, a 5.81 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. The Nationals are hoping that Kensing can harness his good stuff and turn it into solid results.

The Nationals have stripped the interim tag away from 57-year old Jim Riggleman who is the new full time manager of the Nationals. He led the Nationals to a 33-42 (44.0%) record after Manny Acta was dismissed from the team. In his 10-year major league career, Jim Riggleman has a record of 555-694 (44.4%) during the regular season. This was a nice reward for a job well done last season for Riggleman.

The Nationals have claimed 29-year old lefty reliever Doug Slaten off waivers from the D-Backs. Slaten pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs last season and he was 0-0 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. In four years in his major league career, Slaten has pitched in 126 games (0 starts) in which he is 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. This is a good start for the Nationals who should be after any pitcher who has shown anything at the major league level.

UPDATE: The Nationals have designated Doug Slaten for assignment to make room on the roster for Adam Kennedy. The Nationals hope he clears waivers because they like him.