Nationals sign Greg Dobbs to minor league deal

The Washington Nationals have signed infielder Greg Dobbs to a minor league contract, according to a team announcement. Dobbs will head to Triple-A Syracuse at first, but MLBTradeRumors.com's Zach Links reports that he expects to be called up to the majors before an opt-out date in early June.

Dobbs, who was signed to a one-year, $1.7M extension during last season, only had thirteen at-bats for the Fish this season, notching one hit in fifteen games. He was designated for assignment when Ed Lucas came back from a disabled list stint, and was subsquently released a week later.

Dobbs, 35, has been a consistently good pinch-hitter over eleven major league seasons, hitting .262 with 46 HR and 272 RBI with the Mariners (2004-2006), Phillies (2007-2010) and Marlins (2011-2014). He hit .228 with 2 HR and 22 RBI in 237 at-bats with the Marlins last season, and was expected to provide a solid bat off the bench behind new additions Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee.

For the Nationals, Dobbs will likely be used as corner infield depth while Adam LaRoche and Ryan Zimmerman work their way back from injuries. Kevin Frandsen, Tyler Moore, Anthony Rendon and Zach Walters have been manning the positions since the two starters went down.