DFA: Nats’ Kelley dropped after mound meltdown

Shawn Kelley’s outburst on the mound got him booted from the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals designated Kelley for assignment on Wednesday, a day after he threw his glove to the ground and glared into the dugout while working the ninth inning of a 25-4 blowout of the New York Mets.

Kelley entered the game with Washington leading 25-1. He appeared agitated and was working quickly, and he had already allowed a run when the plate umpire warned him to slow down. After the warning, he gave up a two-run homer to Jeff McNeil, prompting the outburst.

“I thought (the way) he acted, portrayed on the field last night, was disrespectful to the name on the front of the jersey, the organization, specifically (manager) Davey Martinez,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. “You’re either in or you’re in the way. I thought he was in the way.”

Kelley apologized for his actions afterward, saying he just wanted the game to end.

“I was just trying to get through the inning and get the game over with,” Kelley said. “I thought everybody had seen enough baseball for one evening.”

Martinez said the decision to cut ties with Kelley was painful but necessary.

“Knowing what we did yesterday, scoring all those runs, everybody’s feeling good. He comes into the game, slams his glove, frustrated with everyone. That, to me, bothered me a lot,” the manager said.

“Here’s a guy that I have respect for, and I have to tell him, ‘We’re going to DFA you,’ and I wish him all the best. Here’s a guy that I got to know personally. He’s not a bad person.”