The Washington Nationals claimed infielder Lucius Fox off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Fox, 24, hit .245 and posted a .353 on-base percentage with 15 doubles, five homers, 24 RBI, 37 walks, 19 stolen bases and 43 runs scored in 62 games across three levels of Kansas City's Minor League system in 2021. He entered the season rated by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in the Royals' organization. Fox was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles on Nov. 19, 2021.
A switch-hitting middle infielder, Fox has stolen 142 bases in five professional seasons (2016-21). In 2019, his 39 stolen bases ranked second among Tampa Bay Rays farmhands. He also ranked tied for second with nine triples and tied for eighth with 59 walks.
Fox spent the 2020 season between Tampa Bay and Kansas City's Alternate Training Site. He was acquired by the Royals on Aug. 27, 2020 in exchange for outfielder Brett Phillips.
A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Fox signed with the San Francisco Giants as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015 and was rated by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 3 prospect in that international signing class. He was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 1, 2016.