While the Washington Nationals capped off their awful week of baseball by falling to the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Sunday, being swept by a division rival for the 2nd consecutive series, the team finally decided it was time to shake things up in a major way. With the team now 11 games below .500, a shake-up was needed, and perhaps the latest roster moves will spark the offense.
No, the Nationals did not fire Manager Dave Martinez, although it feels as if that could come any day now, but they did make a couple of other moves that should bring some major excitement for fans. At the very least, the latest roster moves should give fans a reason to tune in, at the very least.
The first of the two moves the Nationals made was swapping out their top outfield prospects, as Robert Hassell III was optioned back down to AAA Rochester. In his place, top outfield prospect in the organization, Daylen Lile, was recalled from Rochester, and the team will hope he can build on his small sample he had just within the last couple of weeks.
Hassell III hit .218/.228/.269 for a .497 OPS in 21 games, but most notably, he only drew 1 walk while striking out 21 times in 79 plate appearances. For a lineup that is struggling with getting on base, having a free swinger like Hassell III in the everyday lineup just didn't make a ton of sense. Lile hit .194/.257/.355 with a .612 OPS in 11 games during his first time up, and had a 2:7 BB:K ratio in 36 plate appearances. He should be given a solid opportunity to play everyday with Dylan Crews still seemingly not close to returning.
But with all due respect to Lile, the big news with regard to prospect call-ups comes from Brady House, a Top 100 Prospect in all of baseball, and the top hitting prospect in the Nationals organization. He will be taking the place on the big league roster of Jose Tena, who was also optioned to Rochester following Sunday's game.
House posted fantastic offensive numbers this season with Rochester, with a .304/.353/.519 slash line, good for an .872 OPS. Additionally, he hit 13 homers, 41 RBIs, and played some really solid defense at third base, where he should get an opportunity to play everyday for the rest of the season. He has been viewed as the team's long-term answer at the position since being taken with the 11th overall pick back in 2021, and now will get his first crack in the big leagues.
One area of concern is that House did strike out 75 times in 283 plate appearances compared to just 20 walks. The 26.5% K rate is something to monitor, but nonetheless, the team finally decided to give House a well-deserved crack in the majors. I am extremely excited to see how he fares, given the team's dire need for a righty hitter in the lineup. The future is now in DC, and hopefully he can provide a much-needed boost to a lineup that has been absolutely abysmal in the month of June.
What do you think of Brady House getting the call? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.