Hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors. We were rather hoping the 29-year-old Reyes would return to the U.S. after an excellent Japanese debut in which he finished second in the Pacific League with a .912 OPS and in homers with 25. He hit .290/.348/.564 in a league that batted just .241/.303/.347 on the whole. Still, since he’s not much of an outfielder, his market would have been limited to teams interested in a full-time DH.

Reyes’ gargantuan over-the-fence pop should play extremely well overseas in Japan, but his future remains a bit clouded after washing out in the big leagues last year with the Royals when he posted a calamitous .519 OPS with two homers in 19 games before being released in early May. There’s a chance he gets another look in the big leagues if he excels in Japan.

Reyes signed a minor league contract with the Nationals back in mid-May and never wound up making it back to the majors. The 28-year-old slugger posted a disastrous .519 OPS with two homers in 19 games for the Royals before being released in early May.

Andrew Golden of the Washington Post confirmed an initial report of the signing from Talk Nats and adds that the deal includes opt-outs on June 16 and July 1. Reyes has struggled miserably over the past two seasons, but the Nats will try to get his bat back on track in the minors. The 27-year-old batted .186/.231/.228 over 19 games earlier this year for Kansas City before being designated for assignment.