It wasn't subtle, and it wasn't close. Max Kranick's time in Washington appears to be over after the Nationals designated the UNC Greensboro product for assignment this week, capping a brutal stretch that included a pair of disastrous outings and a starring role in one of the team's most embarrassing collapses of the season.
The breaking point came Wednesday, September 3, when Kranick took the mound against Atlanta in the 9th inning and allowed 5 earned runs in just 1⅓ innings — pushing his ERA to 9.33. That implosion was part of a wider 9th-inning meltdown that Yahoo Sports called an "embarrassing" self-destruction, with Kranick and fellow reliever Tom Cosgrove combining to blow what should have been a manageable situation.
It wasn't an isolated incident. Just four days earlier, on August 30 against Miami, Kranick recorded only one out while surrendering 3 earned runs — a 0.1-inning appearance that left his ERA at 7.41 heading into the Atlanta series.
The Nationals made the move official to clear a roster spot for right-hander Jack Sinclair, who was selected off the roster to make his MLB debut. Kranick, 29, now faces the waiver wire and an uncertain path forward. Cosgrove, who was designated earlier in the same week, cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester — a possible preview of what Kranick's immediate future could look like as well.
For UNCG faithful, Kranick's tenure in Washington represented a genuine big-league opportunity for a Greensboro arm. The right-hander had carved out a role in the Nationals' bullpen, but the back-to-back meltdowns made the decision straightforward for a front office balancing roster development with an eye toward the future. When a team is actively promoting young pitchers to make their MLB debuts, veterans pitching to a 9.33 ERA in high-leverage moments don't survive the arithmetic.
There are no other UNCG alumni making notable noise in MLB this week — Alex Hoppe and Hogan Windish remain on Seattle's roster, Corey Rosier is in Boston's outfield, and Andrew Wantz is pitching for the Cubs — but none generated the kind of activity that demands a spotlight this period.
Kranick's situation is the story. Whether he latches on with another organization or accepts a minor-league assignment, his exit from D.C. closes a chapter that, unfortunately for Spartan fans, ended on the wrong side of history.
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