Hassell is not in the lineup for Tuesday's tilt against the Mets.
Hassell had started four of the previous six contests in center field, but he'll begin Tuesday's series opener on the bench. Jacob Young will be tasked with center-field duties for the Nationals.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Smacks first major-league homer
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Hassell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during Saturday's 8-2 loss to Milwaukee.
In a game that saw the Nationals limited to two hits (a season low), Hassell made his one knock count in the third inning, when he took Brandon Woodruff deep to right field. It was the first major-league homer of Hassell's career, and the 23-year-old has a .547 OPS with one steal and 10 RBI across 81 plate appearances this season. He should see regular playing time in the outfield as long as Dylan Crews (oblique) is sidelined.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Promoted Friday
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The Nationals recalled Hassell from Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
The 23-year-old will join Washington for his second stint in the majors after Alex Call was traded to the Dodgers on Thursday. Hassell had a .497 OPS over 79 plate appearances during his first taste of the big leagues, but he now appears set to take over as the Nationals' starting right fielder, at least until Dylan Crews (oblique) returns from the IL.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Returning to Triple-A
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The Nationals optioned Hassell to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Hassell will return to Rochester after batting .218/.228/.269 with one home run and one stolen base in 79 plate appearances over his first 21 games in the big leagues. The Nationals are expected to recall Daylen Lile from Triple-A to replace Hassell on the active roster ahead of the team's four-game series against the Rockies that begins Monday.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Sitting versus southpaw
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Hassell is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Mets.
The Mets are sending lefty David Peterson to the hill, marking the second straight time the left-handed-hitting Hassell is absent from the lineup against a southpaw. Hassell had started against lefties each of the first five times the Nationals faced a lefty following his promotion from Triple-A Rochester on May 21, but Washington has less of a need for him to face same-handed pitching following the recent return of Jacob Young from the injured list.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: On bench against lefty opener
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Hassell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
The rookie outfielder will begin Sunday's contest on the bench while southpaw Jacob Latz opens the contest for the Rangers, but Hassell could be called upon to replace either Alex Call or Jacob Young once Latz leaves the mound. The recent return of Young from the injured list may not cost Hassell a regular spot in the lineup, but he'll need to improve on his .259/.259/.328 slash line to ensure he sticks around in Washington for the long haul.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Drives in three in Arizona
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Hassell went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Friday's win over the Diamondbacks.
The rookie outfielder opened the scoring with a two-RBI single in the top of the first inning, kicking off a wild 9-7 victory. Hassell has begun to find his rhythm against big-league pitching, racking up six hits -- including his first career homer -- and five RBI in the last three games, but an 0:9 BB:K over his first 32 plate appearances with the Nats remains a red flag for his fantasy appeal.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Belts first big-league homer
Rotowire
Hassell went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI in a 9-0 victory versus the Mariners on Wednesday.
Hassell had been struggling coming into Wednesday, going 0-for-12 with four strikeouts over his previous four games. He broke out of that funk against Seattle, with his biggest highlight being a 416-foot solo homer in the eighth inning for his first MLB long ball. It was also Hassell's first extra-base hit of any sort, and he's gone 5-for-22 (.227 average) with no walks across his first six big-league contests.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Getting call to Washington
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The Nationals are expected to recall Hassell from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
After a slow start to the Triple-A season, Hassell has caught fire to the tune of a .339/.381/.559 slash line with four homers, 14 RBI, eight runs and two steals in 63 plate appearances since the start of May. With Jacob Young (shoulder) and Dylan Crews (back) both dealing with injuries, Hassell will receive his first call-up to the big leagues to provide the Nationals' outfield corps with a healthy body. The 23-year-old is capable of playing all three outfield positions, though he's worked almost exclusively as a center fielder this season.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Catching fire in May
Rotowire
Hassell went 4-for-5 with a walk, two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI for Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
The 23-year-old outfielder limped into May with a .240/.296/.280 slash line, but Hassell has erupted for eight hits in the first two games of the month to add over 150 points to his OPS. Power might never be a consistent part of his game -- Friday's long balls were his first of 2025 -- but he's 7-for-8 on steal attempts through 29 games this season. If an injury opens up a spot in the Nationals' outfield, Hassell is positioning himself to get the first chance at filling it.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Nationals optioned Hassell to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell has had a great Grapefruit League showing, batting .370 with one home run and two stolen bases. However, the 23-year-old has failed to put up even a .650 OPS each of the last two seasons in the minors, so he needs further refinement.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Raking at Double-A
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Hassell was named the Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old outfielder has been on a heater longer than just one week, however. Hassell has nine multi-hit performances in the last 14 games for Double-A Harrisburg, slashing .434/.508/.585 over that stretch with two homers, nine steals in 10 attempts and a 7:12 BB:K. The improvement in his plate discipline is especially noteworthy -- in 106 games for Harrisburg last season he had a 31.9 percent strikeout rate, a number he's cut down to 19.3 percent through 24 contests in 2024. A promotion to Triple-A for Hassell should be coming shortly, but the Nationals might be waiting to bump James Wood up to the majors to open up a starting job in the outfield at Rochester.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Will get another crack at AFL
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Hassell will play in the Arizona Fall League this October, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com report.
The 22-year-old has seen his prospect status dim significantly in 2023 after he stumbled to a combined .221/.324/.321 slash line over 121 games between High-A and Double-A, and Hassell's decline began when he broken the hamate bone in his wrist in last year's AFL. He has shown signs of life at the plate late in the season for Double-A Harrisburg however, slashing .281/.349/.351 in September with a marginally improved 25.4 percent strikeout rate, and a strong showing in Arizona could get his career back on track.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Struggling at Double-A
Rotowire
Hassell is hitting .227 with three home runs, nine steals and a 32.2 percent strikeout rate in 52 games for Double-A Harrisburg.
Hassell's 27.9 percent hard-hit rate and 14.3 percent soft-hit rate are solid marks for a player who projects as a leadoff or No. 2 hitter. Unfortunately, his plate skills appear to have really backed up since his 2022 run at High-A, before he was included in the package San Diego sent to Washington for Juan Soto.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Reports to Double-A
Rotowire
Hassell (wrist) was reinstated from Double-A Harrisburg's 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Hassell played in 14 rehab games with Single-A Fredericksburg while completing his recovery from a wrist injury that first popped up in early March. The 21-year-old outfielder entered the 2023 campaign as a consensus top-100 prospect after posting a .763 OPS with 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 112 games last season between High-A and Double-A.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Starts up rehab assignment
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Hassell (wrist), who was placed on Double-A Harrisburg's 7-day injured list April 6, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell missed much of spring training with a wrist issue that's apparently unrelated to the broken hamate bone he suffered in the Arizona Fall League, but he looks to have just about made a full recovery from the injury. He'll likely appear in at least a couple games with Fredericksburg to get his timing back at the plate before he reports to Harrisburg.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Sidelined with new wrist issue
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Hassell is currently sidelined in Nationals camp with a new wrist injury, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports.
It is apparently unrelated to the right hamate bone fracture that Hassell sustained in the 2022 Arizona Fall League. There is no timetable as to when the 21-year-old top outfield prospect might begin appearing in live games. He had been ticketed for Double-A Harrisburg to open the 2023 regular season.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Struggles with new organization
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Hassell hit just .222/.312/.296 with one home run and one steal across 27 games after being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg in mid-August.
He was even worse with the Nats' High-A affiliate after coming over at the trade deadline (.211/.311/.237), so the latter half of 2022 represented an inauspicious start for Hassell with his new franchise. That said, it's reasonable to consider the real Hassell to be the guy who batted .299/.379/.467 with 10 homers and 20 steals in 75 High-A games before being moved. It's also worth remembering that he's just barely 21 years old. Hassell is still on track to develop into a table-setting top-of-the-order bat and Washington's center fielder of the future.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Arrives at Double-A
Rotowire
The Nationals promoted Hassell from High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday.
Of the six players the Nationals acquired in the Aug. 2 blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres, perhaps none exudes more long-term upside than Hassell. Between High-A stops in Wilmington and Fort Wayne this season, Hassell produced a .289/.371/.442 slash line with 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 391 plate appearances. In addition to hitting for average and providing some pop and speed from the left side of the plate, the 20-year-old is also expected to stick in center field over the long haul. He'll now get a stiffer test in the Eastern League to end his 2022 season, but even a more modest statistical showing shouldn't dramatically change his long-term outlook.
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Padres' Robert Hassell: Thriving in High-A ball
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Hassell is slashing .397/.455/.638 with four home runs, 15 RBI and eight stolen bases through 15 games with High-A Fort Wayne.
Hassell struggled a bit during his first stint at the High-A level late last season, but he has taken off with Fort Wayne to begin the 2022 campaign, flashing his considerable hit tool while displaying more power and succeeding on all eight of his stolen-base attempts. The vaunted prospect struck out in nearly one-third of his at-bats in the High-A stint in 2021 but has reduced his strikeout rate to just 13.6 percent so far this season. Hassell's tangible progress could earn him a promotion to the Double-A level before long.
