Nationals Recall Outfielder Elijah Dukes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder Elijah Dukes and selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jorge Sosa from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Dukes, a member of the Nationals' Opening Day roster, rejoins the club after hitting .279 (19-for-68) with eight doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and a .388 on-base percentage in 20 games with Syracuse. The 25-year-old batted .244 (47-for-193) with 13 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 30 RBI and two stolen bases in 57 games with Washington prior to being optioned on July 1.

Sosa join the Nationals for the first time. He appeared in 20 games (four starts) with Syracuse, going 1-2 with three saves and a 2.79 ERA.

In 16 relief appearances with the Chiefs, he tallied a 1.37 ERA (4 ER/26.1 IP) and .170 (16-for-94) batting average against. He worked scoreless ball in 14 of his final 15 relief appearances, and recorded 53 strikeouts against just 13 walks in 48.1 innings, good for a 4.08/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Sosa is 40-49 with five saves and a 4.67 ERA in 254 big-league games (88 starts). He signed with Washington as a minor-league free agent on Dec. 18, 2008.

Dukes and Sosa fill roster spots vacated with Friday's trades of first baseman Nick Johnson (for left-handed pitcher Aaron Thompson) and left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel (for right-handed pitchers Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian) to Florida and Colorado, respectively.