Nuno faces a clearer path to winning a spot in the Nationals' bullpen following the release of Sammy Solis, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The Nats already have two lefties ticketed for the bullpen in Sean Doolittle and Matt Grace, but Doolittle's spot as the closer creates an opening for a third. Nuno has been fairly sharp this spring in his limited reps, posting a 6:1 K:BB and 4.50 ERA in four innings without allowing a homer, and the 31-year-old is coming off a strong campaign with the Rays in 2018 in which he delivered a 1.64 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB over 33 innings while being used in a variety of roles. Nuno has an opt-out clause in his minor-league deal if he's not on the 25-man roster by March 27, but if he keeps performing in camp he should have little difficulty securing a big-league job by Opening Day, whether in Washington or elsewhere.