After the All-Star break in July, the Nationals made a conscious decision to put more of their big league-ready players with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, in Pennsylvania, as opposed to Triple-A Fresno, in California.
It was mostly a matter of geography: Harrisburg is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Washington, while it is 2,766 miles from Fresno to the nation’s capital.
“It certainly allowed us quicker travel time to the big leagues,” Mark Scialabba, the Nationals’ director of player development, said. “I think it worked out for us.”
Major League teams can expand their active rosters from 25 to 40 on Sunday, but they aren’t required to add 15 players.