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The Nationals filled the four roster holes that opened up over the final 36 hours leading into the trade deadline with four players from Triple-A who already were on the organization’s 40-man roster.
The Nats recalled outfielder Robert Hassell III, left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and right-handers Orlando Ribalta and Ryan Loutos from Rochester, adding all four to the active roster before tonight’s series opener against the Brewers.
Hassell replaces Alex Call, who was traded to the Dodgers on Thursday for two minor league pitchers. The 23-year-old (a key acquisition in the 2022 blockbuster Juan Soto deal) makes his second big league stint after batting .218 with one homer, eight RBIs and a .497 OPS in 21 games in late May and early June. He returned to form once back at Triple-A, batting .336 with six homers, 25 RBIs and a .954 OPS in 33 games.
“Everything worked well for me,” he said of his recent performance. “I’m happy to be back.”
Hassell joins an already crowded Nationals outfield that currently features James Wood, Jacob Young and Daylen Lile and should get Dylan Crews back soon. (Crews, who made his rehab debut with Rochester on Tuesday, is off tonight but is scheduled to play six innings for the Red Wings both Saturday and Sunday as he gets back into shape more than two months after suffering an oblique strain.)
Interim manager Miguel Cairo didn’t put Hassell in tonight’s lineup against Brewers left-hander Jose Quintana, and though he said he will find ways to give everyone playing time, he did suggest promising young players won’t simply be guaranteed of a regular spot in the lineup.
“I’m going to find a way to give (Hassell) some at-bats and get some game time,” Cairo said. “That doesn’t mean because they’re here and they’re young kids, that they’ve got to play every day. You’ve got to earn it. Nothing is given to you. You’ve got to earn your playing time. You’ve got to earn to be in the big leagues with us.”
Ogasawara, who struggled in his first two career starts earlier this month, returns to the majors after two strong outings at Triple-A in which he allowed two total runs over 10 innings. The 27-year-old, the first free agent the Nationals have signed directly from Japan, won’t rejoin the big league rotation at this point.
Though they need someone to take Michael Soroka’s starting job after the right-hander was traded to the Cubs on Wednesday, the Nats plan to delay that decision until they actually need a fifth starter next week. In the meantime, Ogasawara will pitch in relief.
“As of right now, he’s going to be in the bullpen,” Cairo said. “It would be good to have an extra arm in the bullpen right now.”
Ogasawara, Ribalta and Loutos join a bullpen that is undergoing yet another makeover two-thirds of the way through a season that has already included several of them. With Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin and Luis García all traded at the deadline, there isn’t a single reliever on the current staff older than 27. Jose A. Ferrer is the only member of the group with more than 44 games of major league experience.
Ferrer, who has mostly pitched in a setup role, figures to be the most likely closing option now, with rookie Cole Henry perhaps a right-handed alternative. Cairo wasn’t ready to name anyone publicly yet when asked about his new bullpen arrangement this afternoon.
“You will see tonight who it’s going to be,” the interim manager said with a smirk. “Hopefully you guys find out today. …
“I’m going to put it this way: It’s going to be a chance for young, talented pitchers to prove to this organization, to the front office, to our coaching staff, that they belong here, that they’re going to pitch here, that they have what it takes to be in the big leagues.”
