On Monday, the Washington Nationals continued to prepare for Opening Day by trimming down their spring training roster even further. With 2 rounds of cuts already in the books, we are now getting down to guys who are more likely to be seen in big leagues in the near future, although maybe not quite this season. At this point in time, it is pretty safe to say that the club is mostly done cutting guys who were never going to make the Opening Day roster after yesterday's cuts, as most of these guys that got cut are simply just not yet ready to be big leaguers.
However, out of the 4 names that were cut, 3 of them are currently ranked inside the Top 13 prospects in the organization, and the other one is a bit of a fan favorite who simply just does not have a place on the big league roster at the moment.
Outfielder Daylen Lile and infielders Cayden Wallace and Yohandy Morales are likely going to be guys that we see up in the Nation's Capital within the next couple of seasons, which is why they were even invited to big league camp in the first place. Personally, I am a big believer in the upside for all 3 of these guys, and I am going to be excited to see where they fit into the big picture within the not-too-distant future.
Lile, the team's 10th-ranked prospect in the updated Top 30 list, made it up to AA Harrisburg last season, and, despite perhaps lacking the power potential that other outfielders in the system have, does a lot of really great things on the baseball field that should at least give him a safe floor once he is ready to become a big leaguer. It is curious to wonder where he fits into the team's outfield picture long-term, but that is definitely a good problem to have as an organization.
The Nationals have made the following roster moves:
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) March 17, 2025
Reassigned to Minor League camp:
OF Daylen Lile
INF Yohandy Morales
INF Cayden Wallace
Optioned to Triple-A Rochester
INF Darren Baker
Wallace, the team's 11th-ranked prospect, was acquired from the Kansas City Royals for Hunter Harvey last season, and did not really get a ton of opportunity to play in the Nationals organization due to injuries. He did not get a ton of opportunity in the Arizona Fall League, but performed very well in big league camp this spring. Between him, Brady House, and perhaps even Yohandy Morales, the team is determined to make one of them become the future at the hot corner, but Wallace could also have value as a utility infielder if all else fails.
Speaking of Morales, his spring training was fairly underwhelming, as after he got off to a hot start, he cooled off pretty dramatically. He has been thought of as a potential future starter at a corner infield spot, but his bat still has some progress that needs to be made before he can warrant legitimate big league consideration. His 55-grade power should hopefully be on display more this season with him fully healthy, and he could be a guy we are talking about a lot differently in a year from now.
Finally, Darren Baker is a guy who just does not really have a firm place in the organization right now. He is seemingly behind Nasim Nuñez in the pecking order as the team's backup infielder, and while he is a great contact hitter, his lack of power offensively and lack of range defensively that limits him to second base is going to hinder his ceiling as a potential big leaguer. I have no doubt we will see Dusty's son at some point with the Nationals this season, but it definitely won't be on Opening Day, where MacKenzie Gore will be getting his first career nod.
Did any of these cuts surprise you? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.