With walk-off single, Tomás throws his hat in the ring

The Nationals have one open spot on their bench they need to fill, and the sense entering camp was that it was likely to go either to a utility infielder like Hernán Pérez or Jordy Mercer or an experienced backup outfielder like Gerardo Parra or Yadiel Hernández.

There is another possible candidate for the job, though, especially if general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez decide to prioritize offensive potential over defensive ability and versatility. His name is Yasmany Tomás, and while his chances of making the opening night roster remain slim, they're not nonexistent, especially when he delivers in the clutch like he did Saturday night.

Tomás, the 30-year-old slugger who got a big contract from the Diamondbacks but never lived up to the hype, produced the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth that gave the Nationals a 4-3 victory over the Mets in West Palm Beach, Fla.

His RBI hit to right field off New York reliever Ryley Gilliam didn't suddenly thrust him into the mix for a spot on the 26-man roster. But the Nats have been intrigued by the non-roster invite all along, and it's not inconceivable they might value him enough to give him a shot.

"He works good at-bats," Martinez said during his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "He's got the ability to hit the ball to all fields, which is nice. He hit the ball hard again tonight for that base hit."

The husky, 260-pound Tomas has the ability to hit the ball really hard. And he did that a lot for the Diamondbacks in 2016, when he mashed 31 homers and 30 doubles while batting .272/.313/.508. But it's been all downhill for him since.

Tomás hit .241/.294/.464 in 2017 and has barely played in the big leagues since. He spent the bulk of the 2018-19 seasons at Triple-A Reno, then he wasn't even included in Arizona's 60-man pool of candidates to play during the shortened 2020 season. All this for a guy who had been awarded a six-year, $68.5 million contract way back in 2015 after he fled Cuba and arrived in America.

Tomas' big swing and propensity to strike out were his undoing with the Diamondbacks, as were his subpar defensive skills. But the Nationals are working with him this spring in left field and third base alike, and he even finished out Saturday night's game at first base.

Sure, if he makes the team it'll be for his bat. But in the National League, with no DH, bench players had better be comfortable enough to handle one or two positions in the field.

"If you can play multiple positions, the more chances you've got to play," Martinez said. "It's good that we're that versatile that a lot of guys can do a lot of different things."

Tomás may prove he's capable of handling multiple positions in the field, but his calling card is his bat. And to date he hasn't performed a ton this spring. In nine games, he's 4-for-18 with two RBIs, one walk and seven strikeouts.

So there's still work to be done if he has visions of leapfrogging others in the mix for the last spot on the Nationals bench. But another walk-off single or two like he produced Saturday would certainly help boost his case.