Desperate for a jolt following a weekend sweep at the hands of the Marlins that extended their worst losing streak in two years to eight games, the Nationals decided to call up the last remaining top offensive prospect they’ve got waiting in the wings in the upper levels of their farm system.
Brady House is being promoted from Triple-A Rochester and is expected to make his major league debut at third base Monday night when the Nats open a four-game series against the Rockies, a source familiar with the decision confirmed. The same source confirmed the team is also recalling outfielder Daylen Lile, who made his big league debut last month but was sent down after going 6-for-31 in 11 games.
The club has not yet formally announced the two promotions – someone will have to be removed from the 40-man roster to clear a space for House, with several players available for transfer to the 60-day injured list – but two hours after the conclusion of today’s loss the team did announce infielder José Tena and outfielder Robert Hassell III had been optioned to Triple-A.
House’s arrival alone probably isn’t going to be enough to resurrect a dormant Nationals lineup that has scored only 31 runs in 13 games this month, but the promotion of the organization’s 2021 first-round pick is nevertheless a significant development, one that has been anticipated for some time.
House, who recently turned 22, put up impressive numbers in 65 games with Rochester over the season’s first 2 1/2 months. After going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs this afternoon, he raised his batting average to .304, his on-base percentage to .353 and his slugging percentage to .519. With 15 doubles, 13 homers and 41 RBIs, the right-handed hitter gives the team a much-needed bat with power potential. (Nationals third basemen have collectively hit only two homers this season, second-fewest in the majors.)
House also has been viewed as a solid defensive third baseman, a position he took over full-time in 2023 after spending his first two professional seasons as a shortstop, one who was limited to only 36 games at Single-A Fredericksburg in 2022 due to a back injury. At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, he’s a still-growing physical presence who finally looked like he fit in with major leaguers this spring in West Palm Beach after admittedly looking out of place in his first big league camp the previous year.
He joins a group of young position players who gradually have made their way to Washington over the last several seasons – James Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., Keibert Ruiz, Dylan Crews (currently out with an oblique injury), Hassell, Lile – in hopes of turning around a franchise that hasn’t produced a winning record since its World Series championship run in 2019.
Lile also returns less than two weeks after his demotion, which came when center fielder Jacob Young was activated off the IL. The 22-year-old made an initial splash when he singled on the first pitch he saw as a major league player but overall batted just .194 with three doubles, a triple and two RBI in 11 games.
Lile replaces Hassell, who likewise made a splash in his first few days in D.C. last month but struggled over time. After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout today, his batting average fell to .218 (17-for-78) with one double, one homer, one walk and 21 strikeouts.
House’s promotion comes at the expense of Tena, who had been getting the bulk of the team’s starts at third base, platooning with veteran Amed Rosario. Tena made significant strides defensively at a position he only began playing last summer, but his offensive numbers were wanting: a .248/.325/.368 slash line with zero homers and 13 RBIs in 44 games.