Robert Hassell III’s major league debut will have to wait 24 hours. The Nationals’ newest outfielder won’t complain.

Tonight’s game between the Nats and Braves was postponed due to rain in the area, the announcement coming about 90 minutes after the team officially promoted Hassell from Triple-A Rochester and placed Dylan Crews on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.

With Atlanta set to make another trip to D.C. this season, tonight’s game won’t be made up until a Sept. 16 day-night doubleheader, with a new 1:05 p.m. game added in advance of the previously scheduled 6:45 p.m. contest.

The two teams will complete this series as planned at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, with tonight’s starters (Trevor Williams, AJ Smith-Shawver) pushed back to pitch then.

Barring a change of heart by his manager, Hassell figures to be part of Thursday’s lineup for the Nationals. He was due to start in center field and bat seventh tonight, though it’s possible he’ll shift to right field if Jacob Young is ready to return from a jammed left shoulder.

The 23-year-old becomes the fourth prospect acquired in the August 2022 trade with the Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell to reach the majors for the Nats, joining CJ Abrams, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore. His path was a bit slower than those of the others, in large part due to hand and wrist injuries that bothered him the last two seasons. But he finally earned the promotion with solid numbers at Triple-A Rochester (.288/.337/.405 slash line) that included a torrid stretch so far this month (.365/.403/.603).

“It’s amazing,” Hassell said inside the home clubhouse at Nationals Park this afternoon. “I came in here one other time last year for the prospect game, so I was a little bit familiar. But just finally being here, it means the world to me. It’s something I’ve dreamed of, but to finally be here and be with these guys, I’m looking forward to winning some games.”

Manager Davey Martinez said Hassell will get regular playing time, sticking with the organization’s longstanding plan to not put top prospects on the big league bench. His position in the outfield will depend on Young’s daily status, with Alex Call in right field on days Hassell is in center.

“I’m looking forward to watching him play,” Martinez said. “Just like those other kids, there will be days where I’ll give him a day (off), but for the most part he’s going to play every day.”

Hassell’s promotion comes at the expense of Crews, who now makes his first trip to the major league IL after aggravating his oblique on a check-swing in the fifth inning Tuesday night. The 23-year-old was starting to get hot at the plate after a slow start to his first full season, homering in back-to-back games, but now will be sidelined for an indeterminate amount of time.

“It’s never a positive,” Crews said. “You always want to go out there and play every day. But I guess it could’ve been worse. We’ll just get in the training room and get it right, so I can get on the field as soon as I can.”

Crews said he had been dealing with tightness in his lower back and left side for about a week, since making a diving catch in Atlanta. He had managed to play through it until Tuesday night’s check-swing, which came three innings after he hit his seventh homer of the season.

The rookie outfielder underwent an MRI this morning, and though the Nationals already placed him on the 10-day IL with the oblique strain they were still waiting this afternoon for him to visit with a doctor to determine the severity of the injury and devise a timeline for his return. The strain is significant enough to prevent Crews from participating in any baseball activities for at least a couple weeks, so he will not travel with the team to Seattle and Arizona next week.

“We’re waiting for the doctor to see what the severity is,” Martinez said. “But hopefully it’s nothing too bad and he’s able to come back here as soon as possible.”