After another ugly loss on Monday evening against the Pittsburgh Pirates, there was certainly not a lot to be excited about. Going up against the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year winner and 2023 #1 overall pick Paul Skenes, you knew coming into the game that runs were going to be at a premium, but what was unforeseen was the barrage of offense the Pirates would bring on Monday night.
The game was relatively winnable after the 6th inning, but another bullpen meltdown would force another defeat for the Nationals. Jackson Rutledge pitched decently, but Davey Martinez trying to stretch him for another inning ended up costing him, and his final line suffered as a result. Overall, the game finished as a 10-3 defeat, and the Nationals bullpen now owns the 30th-ranked ERA in baseball, which is dead last.
But during the game, I couldn't help but imagine what could possibly help to spark this offense, which has just been completely uninspiring outside of a few big bats at the top of the order. Obviously, without CJ Abrams in the lineup as well, you lose one of your 3 best bats, and the rest of the team collectively has to pick up the slack. Outside of James Wood, Nathaniel Lowe, and Keibert Ruiz, the rest of the lineup has been pretty awful to begin the season.
I have confidence that guys like Luis Garcia Jr. and Josh Bell will pick it up here soon, as I think they are both a lot better than what we've seen from them to begin the season. Guys like Jacob Young and Dylan Crews are having their share of struggles, and perhaps the team needs to take a good hard look at them both to figure out if one of them needs to go down to AAA for more at-bats and development.
But the one guy who has been pretty abysmal to begin this season is Paul DeJong, and his potential replacement, Brady House, could force the Nationals' hand sooner than they'd like at third base. DeJong is a veteran big leaguer who was signed for next to nothing, and for a guy who was supposed to provide some much needed power to the lineup, has still yet to homer this season and has just a .529 OPS through 52 at-bats.
DeJong does play a great third base defensively, and at the moment it appears as that is what is at least keeping him in the lineup everyday over a guy like José Tena. It is clear that the organization doesn't believe either DeJong or Tena are good enough to keep their top hitting prospect from making the big leagues, but when will he debut?
The answer for me is simple, if House can continue to put up solid production in AAA while DeJong continues to sputter offensively, the club will be forced to cut bait on their offseason addition. While we would all love for DeJong to be flipped for a prospect, the reality is that there is a reason he was still available until spring training started, and why the best offer he could get was just a $1 million deal from a non-contending team.
House has gotten off to a solid start down in Rochester, with a .280/.321/.440 slash line giving him a .761 OPS in 50 at-bats so far to go along with a homer and 8 RBIs. He needs to show some more consistency before I would feel comfortable calling him up, as when he eventually does get the call, you want to make sure he is truly ready and won't be at risk for having to go back down to the minors. His 3:18 BB:K ratio gives me pause, as him being able to walk more like he did in spring training will help prove his maturity at the plate.
So when could House debut? If he can improve his on-base % and lower his K rate, I would guess that we are potentially looking at a call-up around June or July, assuming that the rest of his numbers can stay around where they are now. His 33% strikeout rate right now is going to have to even out, as the last thing the Nationals need is another guy joining their big league lineup with strikeout issues.
As long as he continues to show his power with an ability to work counts and limit the strikeouts, he is going to have a very good chance of making the majors before the trade deadline. I would guess DeJong is DFA'd around mid-May if not earlier, and the team will give Tena everyday reps until House proves himself to be ready.
The time is coming for House, and I really hope the Nationals don't rush him for no reason. As bad as DeJong is right now, it is more important that House is called up when he's ready without being rushed. The organization may have rushed Dylan Crews and he is really struggling right now, but that's a debate for another time.
When do you think Brady House gets the call? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.