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Nationals Officially Recall Slugging First Baseman Andres Chaparro

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 5:08 PM ET

The Washington Nationals were operating with a roster that was a bit unbalanced for a while.

Following their surprising decision to DFA Nathaniel Lowe as the corresponding move for Dylan Crews getting activated off the injured list, the organization made it clear that they were going to carry five outfielders for the foreseeable future to see what they have in that group.

But that also meant Paul DeJong would have to take over at first base on occasion, a position that is not natural for him and could cause some issues for a defense and pitching staff that needs as much help as they can get.

There was speculation that the Nationals were going to solve that issue by bringing up Triple-A first baseman Andres Chaparro following the option of Jose Tena to the minors, and that's exactly what took place on Tuesday, per an official announcement from the team.

Nationals Officially Recall Andres Chaparro

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This will be the 26-year-old's second stint with the big league club this season, getting into four games earlier in the campaign where he went 1-for-11 with his lone hit being a double to go along with a walk and three strikeouts.

Previously, he got into 33 MLB games last year after Washington acquired him in a trade deadline deal from the Arizona Diamondbacks, selecting his contract for his Major League debut on Aug. 13 before he was placed on the paternity list on Sept. 24.

During that stint, he had a much better showing. He slashed only .215/.280/.413, but he did hit four home runs with 15 RBI, demonstrating some of the pop he has produced during his time in the minors.

What To Expect From Chaparro

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It's hard to predict what he's going to do in his second stint of the season.

Chaparro has proven to be an elite power hitter in the minors, blasting double-digit home runs in now five consecutive campaigns with a run of three straight from 2022-24 where he hit 20 or more. The hope is that he will showcase some of that during the stretch run of this year.

The Nationals now have to figure out their first base situation going forward after they moved on from Lowe despite him having another season of club control remaining as Josh Bell is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of this campaign.

With a good showing to close out the year, there's chance Chaparro could be in the mix for the 2026 Opening Day starting spot. But he'll have to perform much better than he has thus far.