Washington Nationals right fielder Daylen Lile (51) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Nationals’ Daylen Lile Matches Club Rookie Record After Two-Triple Game

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile may not have much power. But no one should doubt his speed.

As the Nationals lost to the Chicago Cubs, 11-5, on Friday at Wrigley Field, Lile was busy. He went 2-for-4, drove in two runs and scored two runs. Both of those hits were triples, which gave him seven triples in 2025 in just 70 Major League games.

For those that have followed his career, triples are part of his game. At the minor league level, he has 25 since his professional debut in 2021. If fact, he had 10 triples in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But what he did on Friday was notable, both for the franchise and for a visiting player at Wrigley Field.

Daylen Lile’s Notable Afternoon

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Per Nationals Communications on X (formerly Twitter), Lile became the second rookie in Washington Nationals history to have two triples in a game since 2005, when the franchise moved from Montreal. The only other rookie with two triples in the same game was Bernie Castro, who accomplished the feat on Sept. 16, 2006, against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lile’s other accomplishment on Friday, per The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden on X, was that he became the first opposing player to triple twice in a game in Wrigley Field in 14 years.

Lile leads all MLB rookies with seven triples this season. He’s tied for seventh in the Majors with Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz and Philadelphia’s Trea Turner.

Lile started this year at Double-A Harrisburg but played so well he earned a promotion to Triple-A Rochester on April 30. The Nationals selected his contract on May 23 and promoted him after center fielder Jacob Young’s injury. The Nats optioned him back o June 6 and recalled him on June 16. In 47 minor league games he slashed .328/.377/.503 with four home runs and 29 RBI.

The Nationals selected Lile in the second round (No. 47) overall of the 2021 MLB draft out of Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky. He missed the 2022 minor league season after he tore the UCL in his throwing elbow during spring training, an injury that required Tommy John surgery. He returned for the 2023 season and slashed .269/.355/.452 with nine home runs and 66 RBI with Class A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington.

A spring training injury in 2024 slowed his progress, as he spent the season at Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. Combined he slashed .262/.347/.388 with six home runs and 45 RBI. At the same time, rookie Dylan Crews was taking control of the right field job as a September call-up.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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