Nationals Rising Star Making Case to Return to Major League Baseball

The Washington Nationals optioned outfielder Robert Hassell III back to Triple-A Rochester on June 16.

He’s been red hot ever since.

The 23-year-old, who is the Nationals’ No. 11 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has torn up minor league pitching in the first six games since his return, according to the Nationals Player Development account on X (formerly Twitter).

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With hits in all six games, he is batting .500 (13-for-26) with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, five walks, three stolen bases and six runs scored.

Part of that streak included an enormous game against Lehigh Valley on Friday, during which he went 4-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, a double and 11 total bases.

The surge has boosted his slash for the season to .307/.364/.466 with an .830 OPS with seven home runs and 33 RBI. He also has nine doubles, 12 stolen bases, 25 runs scored. He has 37 strikeouts against 17 walks.

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The Nationals called Hassell up on May 21 as they were dealing with injuries in their outfield, including one to center fielder Jacob Young. It was a reward for a quality start to the season. At the time of his promotion, he was slashing .288/.337/.405 with four home runs and 24 RBI.

With Washington, he admittedly struggled. He slashed .218/.228/.269 in 21 games, with one home run and eight RBI. He also had a double. Strikeouts were a real problem in his first taste of Major League Baseball, as he fanned 21 times in 78 at-bats with just one walk.

Hassell was the San Diego Padres’ first-round pick in 2020 out of Independence High School in Franklin, Tenn. He worked his way through San Diego system until the 2022 trade deadline, when he was deal to the Nationals.

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Hassell, along with first baseman Luke Voit, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susan, were acquired by Washington for outfielder Juan Soto and designated hitter Josh Bell.

Gore, Abrams and Wood are already contributors at the MLB level. Abrams went to the All-Star Game last year, Wood appears to be the Nats’ leading candidate this year and Gore as emerged as the rotation’s ace. Hassell was the fourth of the five players to make his MLB debut.

Susana is on the minor league injured list with an elbow strain.

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