Feb 20, 2023; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III (55) practices his swing during a spring training workout at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Nationals to Call Up Robert Hassell III as Dylan Crews Gets MRI

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated May 20, 2025 10:35 PM ET

The Washington Nationals will reportedly promote outfield prospect Robert Hassell III to the Major League roster on Wednesday, per MiLB Central's Chase Ford.

MASN Sports' Mark Zuckerman later reported the promotion.

The move is not official and the Nationals have not announced a move. He could be promoted for Tuesday's game with Atlanta.

The news of the potential promotion comes after multiple reports that rookie outfielder Dylan Crews will have an MRI for some pain in his lower left back that he felt while swinging. A timeline of absense is not clear. But the Washington Post's Spencer Nusbaum reported had been bothering Crews since the Nats' previous meeting with the Braves.

Dylan Crews will get an MRI tomorrow. It’s a back issue (left side) that he’s been dealing with since the last Atlanta series, but hadn’t really had it hurt like that until the check swing.

Unclear yet if he’ll miss some time.
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) May 21, 2025

The Washington Nationals are calling up OF Robert Hassell III to the majors.

Hassell III had a .288 batting average along with 11 extra-base hits for the Rochester Red Wings.#Nationals
— Chase Ford (@_chaseford) May 21, 2025

Zuckerman also reported that another starting outfielder, Jacob Young, has been day-to-day with a sore left shoulder.

Crews struggled to start the year but had put together a solid stretch in May. Now he may have a setback to overcome. Back issues can be especially tricky for players like Crews who are so dependent on speed and base-running agility.

Hassell, who is at Triple-A Rochester, ranks No. 11 in the Nationals farm system per MLB Pipeline.

Hassell, 23, is batting .288 in Triple-A with a .742 OPS and four home runs in 2025. His name may sound familiar as being part of the Juan Soto trade to the San Diego Padres back in 2022 that also sent CJ Abrams, James Wood, and MacKenzie Gore to Washington. Hassell was selected eighth overall by the Padres in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Hassell is similar to Crews in his speed. He has a 60 grade running tool on the MiLB 20-80 grading scale . He has nine stolen bases in 43 games this season in the minor leagues. Manager Dave Martinez should be able to use Hassell in a similar fashion at the bottom of the Washington lineup.

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

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