The Washington Nationals today optioned OF Ty Godwin and 2B Bernie Castro to New Orleans and reassigned CA Brandon Harper to Minor League camp.

Harper was never really in the running for the role of backup catcher. Depending upon how many of the losers of the backup catching derby (DiFelice, Castillo, and Gonzalez) remain will determine what level Harper would play, likely as a backup catcher.

With the overabundance of 2B on the Nationals 40-man roster with Castro (Vidro, Soriano, Jackson, Anderson, and Harris), Castro was a long shot to make the 25-man roster. He’ll likely start at 2B in New Orleans where he would be considered an injury replacement for Nationals if for no other reason than his speed (238/310 in 6 minor league seasons). Look for Castro to be mentioned if the Nats end up moving one of Vidro or Soriano.

Godwin was acquired in the Rule 5 draft in 2004 from the Blue Jays. Long on hype as the prototypical toolsy OF, Godwin has yet to live up to the expectations set by either Toronto or Washington. His spring training numbers show he has the ability to perform 318/375/591 in 13G (22AB) … a small sample size against mostly journeyman type pitching. It will be interesting to see how well Aaron Wideman performs for the Jays, he was the player sent to Toronto for Godwin’s contract. He’s 21 and will likely begin the season in High A or Double A.