Wild Things Sign and Place C Jake Washer on IL Before Transaction Deadline
WASHINGTON, Pa. (August 12) – The Washington Wild Things have signed two players, placed one on the injured list and placed another on the suspended list, in the final set of roster moves, presented by McClellands Contracting and Roofing, LLC, before Monday’s Frontier League transaction deadline.
The club has signed catcher Jake Washer and placed him on the 7-Day Injured List with a pre-existing injury. Washington has also placed infielder Carlos Santiago on the suspended list and signed infielder Cole Roberts.
Washer played his collegiate ball at East Carolina University and was all-conference and a Johnny Bench Award candidate. He was a semifinalist for the award in 2018 that started 55 of 58 games for the Pirates. He hit .287 that season with six homers, 40 RBI and scored 32 runs. He also roped 10 doubles and one triple while drawing 32 walks. In total at ECU, Washer played in 129 games and slashed .288/.388/.504 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI.
He was drafted by the Cubs in the 29th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of ECU and played from 2019 to 2023 in the Chicago farm system. He split time in 2019 between Low-A Eugene and the AZL Cubs (Rookie Ball). That season he hit .257 with a home, seven doubles and a triple in 75 plate appearances. Post-COVID, he played in 47 games in 2021 for South Bend (A+) and two for Tennessee (AA). Between the two, he hit two home runs and drove in 12 in 49 games.
He did the same thing in terms of affiliate experience in 2022 but saw more time with the Double-A Smokies. He slashed .269/.323/.530 that season with 17 homers and 48 RBI, 14 and 34 of which came with High-A South Bend. He appeared in 23 games for Triple-A Iowa in 2023, gathering 12 hits that included five doubles, a triple and a home run. Washer was with High Point in the Atlantic League this season and drove in 27 with 44 hits in 43 games. He had 10 doubles, a triple and a home run.
The catcher was placed on the 7-Day Injured List. Frontier League teams get one activation from the injured list during the final 2.5 weeks of the season post-transaction deadline. Washer’s signing and placement on the injured list afford Washington the opportunity to activate him should a need or desire arise.
Roberts comes to the Wild Things after being released July 19 from the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. The infielder was signed as a free agent after finishing his collegiate career at Loyola Marymount in 2023. Last season, Roberts appeared in 19 games for two rookie-ball affiliate teams before playing for RA12 in the Puerto Rican Winter League. This season, he split time between High-A Hillsboro and Class-A Visalia, where he drove in 12 in 40 combined games between the two squads with 22 hits. He walked 16 times and stole nine bases this season as well.
Cole played four seasons at Loyola Marymount and slashed .232/.322/.289 there with 25 doubles, a triple, a home run and 47 RBI in 164 collegiate outings. In 2023, Roberts was teammates with current Washington starting pitcher Zach Kirby. He is the son of Dave Roberts, the current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2004 World Series champion with Boston.
Roberts will join the team in Joliet and could make his Wild Things’ debut as early as Tuesday night.
Santiago went 1-for-2 as a replacement for the ejected Jalen Miller Saturday night after arriving in Crestwood earlier that day but left the team Sunday and has been placed on the suspended list for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The Wild Things own a playoff magic number of five and a division magic number of 12 entering Frontier League play Monday night. The playoff magic number can come down to four tonight as Schaumburg plays a doubleheader with Evansville. It cannot come down two because if Schaumburg (38-38) drops both games to the Otters, Florence (38-39) will take over fourth place in the West Division. Washington starts a series with Joliet in Joliet, Illinois, tomorrow at 7:35/6:35 p.m. CT.
