The Washington Nationals are likely to be down a man for at least the next week or so after Paul DeJong was hit in the face by a fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller on Tuesday night. He is going to be placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured nose today, according to an official release from the team, and the team is recalling a familiar face to take his spot on the club for now.
Trey Lipscomb, a 3rd round pick by the Nationals back in 2022 out of the University of Tennessee, is joining the club in Pittsburgh today to take DeJong's place with him likely headed for the IL. Lipscomb got his first taste of big league action in 2023, but had an unimpressive .200/.268/.232 slash line with just a .500 OPS in 211 plate appearances.
Between Lipscomb, José Tena, and Amed Rosario, the Nationals seem likely to go with some sort of committee approach at the hot corner in order to fill the void left by DeJong until he is able to return. Lipscomb is undoubtedly the best defender out of the 3, and he will be hoping that his bat is able to showcase a little bit more than it did last season.
As you might remember, Lipscomb was one of the Nationals' best performers in 2023 during spring training, but was one of the final cuts to make the Opening Day roster at the beginning of last season. After Nick Senzel went down in that first series in Cincinatti, Lipscomb got his first crack at the big leagues and even hit his first homer during that initial call-up.
Unfortunately for Lipscomb, that would be the only homer he would hit during his time in the big leagues last season, but he did showcase his versatility on the infield by appearing in games at third base, second base, and first base last season. His glove is good enough to play anywhere on the infield really, and it will be interesting to see how much of an opportunity he gets this time around.
So far in Rochester this season, Lipscomb has a .295/.392/.386 slash line with a homer and 7 RBIs in just 13 games, with a .778 OPS to go along with that line as well. Additionally, he does have 2 stolen bases and had 11 steals in 13 attempts last season with the Nationals as well.
Although I am sure many fans were hoping for an early look at top hitting prospect Brady House in the majors, the Nationals are making sure that he is fully ready before giving him a look, and I think that bringing up Lipscomb before House was the right move for his future. He has a .269/.333/.423 slash line with a .756 OPS, 1 homer, and 8 RBIs in 14 games for the Red Wings, and he is still on track to make his big league debut later this season, although he will have to wait for now.
What do you think of the Nationals recalling Trey Lipscomb? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.