ANN ARBOR -- The Washington Nationals announced on Monday they have added former University of Michigan pitcher James Bourque to the 40-man roster.
Bourque, 25, went to the University of Michigan from 2011-14 before he was drafted by the Nationals organization in the 14th round of the 2014 draft.
The Ann Arbor native has spent the past four years in the same minor league organization without being added to the major league roster, which couple with other stipulations, would have made him eligible for the Rule-5 draft in December.
To protect from the potential risk of losing him, the Nationals added the Ann Arbor Huron graduate to their 40-man roster.