How should Paul DeJong be used now that he's back with the Nationals?

The Washington Nationals have taken infielder Paul DeJong off the injured list, and optioned first baseman Andres Chaparro to Triple-A. They opted to keep No. 3 prospect Brady House in the big leagues, and instead sent Chaparro back to Rochester.

That seems to make DeJong's role fairly obvious. On paper, removing Chaparro from the roster opens up a part-time role at designated hitter for someone to play against left-handed pitchers. Given that DeJong is a right-handed hitter, and since Brady House (who is playing quite well in the field at third base) is still here, Chaparro's old role seems like the clear fit for DeJong.

Unfortunately, this actually doesn't align with DeJong's strengths. Although it appears that the Nationals will treat him as primarily a platoon DH, it would be wise for them to use him in a different capacity.

The Plan

By all accounts, Dave Martinez is planning to deploy DeJong as a platoon designated hitter. We have discussed this previously, and now Martinez has essentially confirmed it.

Personally, I think this is silly. A light-hitting, defensive-minded veteran who you're presumably looking to trade soon shouldn't be your designated hitter. However, putting him there allows him to replace Chaparro, and it seems apparent that Martinez is committed to his current starting infield, with Amed Rosario as a backup at multiple positions.

Why it's Flawed

There are two problems with that role for DeJong. His value recently has been carried by his defense, and he's historically been a more productive hitter against right-handed pitchers.

For what it's worth, DeJong isn't as good defensively as he used to be. When he was younger, he used to be one of the better fielders in the league at shortstop. That ability began to fade dramatically late in 2023, and that is what pushed him to third base. However, he's held up well there. Through 93 innings at the hot corner this season, he has accrued two defensive runs saved (DRS) and three outs above average (OAA).

Sure, Brady House has been similarly productive defensively in relatively close to the same amount of opportunities. He's also the more important player long term, so it wouldn't make sense to move House to designated hitter - even though he has the more prolific hitting profile. But that's also not the point. Do either of them really have to play a considerable amount at DH?

Perhaps even more problematic, DeJong has reverse splits. Whereas the typical right-handed hitter performs better against left-handed pitching, DeJong is noticeably better against right-handers. Throughout his career of more than 3300 plate appearances, his on-base plus slugging (OPS) against right-handed pitchers in .728, compared to .651 against southpaws - and the difference has been even more drastic this season and 2024.

Most of Washington's lineup has this same tendency, including Josh Bell and Brady House (at least this season). In fact, the only infielder currently on the roster who hits better against left-handed pitchers is Rosario. At Chaparro filled a role offensively that almost no one else on the roster could. The same cannot be said for DeJong.

What the Plan Should Be

I have written previously that I wouldn't have been opposed to sending House back to Triple-A, considering that he hasn't provided much with his bat during his major league debut. At the time, my thought was that they should consider signing a specific free agent hitter in addition to activating DeJong, leading to a surplus (although I'm using that term generously) of infielders on the roster.

If Chaparro had provided any value as a platoon bat, they could have considered keeping him instead of House. However, that didn't happen, so I can't justify it. Instead, I would consider using a different pair of infielders at DH.

As mentioned before, Rosario is a good fit in a platoon capacity against left-handed pitchers. In fact, he has an .877 OPS against them this season and .803 throughout his career. He's also been a pretty terrible defender at any position he's played. That makes him a perfect option to partner in a platoon with Bell - who has hit quite well against right-handers since breaking out of the slump he was mired in for close to two months.

I also wouldn't mind placing Luis Garcia Jr at designated hitter occasionally, instead of second base. Aside from 2021 and 2022, when he was slightly above average, Garcia has rated poorly as a defender at second base - and he's unplayable at any other position (although first base has not been attempted yet).

That would allow the Nationals to use DeJong in a role more similar to what Rosario currently has. DeJong could remain House's true backup at third base, as well as remaining the backup shortstop and potentially beginning to play some second base. He has minimal experience at the keystone position, most of which came in 2017, but I imagine it would be pretty easy for him to pick up. In fact, he doesn't have impressive arm strength - it's weaker than Rosario - so he may benefit from a move to second base.

Perhaps best of all, unless they're open to sending House to Triple-A, converting DeJong into a true utility infielder could help boost his trade value. I would also argue that hiding Rosario's glove and allowing the focus to shift to his bat could help Rosario, as well.

What do you think the plan should be for Paul DeJong. Should he become a designated hitter? Should he continue to play an infield role? How safe is Brady House, now that DeJong is back? Let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.

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