Nationals make unexpected decision to demote rookie for .323 hitter

Billy Heyen

Nationals make unexpected decision to demote rookie for .323 hitter image

The Washington Nationals are shaking things up.

They sent down two players Sunday night while calling up one intriguing replacement.

According to The Washington Post's Andrew Golden, Robert Hassell III and Jose Tena are going down to Triple-A Rochester. Coming up is Daylen Lile.

It makes some sense that they'd call up Lile. He's batting .323 at Triple-A with six doubles, two triples and two homers in just 25 games.

But sending down the rookie Hassell doesn't seem like a great development decision.

Hassell is a top-100 prospect who has been OK in his first exposure to MLB. He has a .230 average with a double and a homer through 20 games.

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Maybe most concerning about Hassell's performance is that he has only walked once, compared to 20 strikeouts, through 75 plate appearances.

But Hassell proved he's too good for Triple-A earlier this season with a .288 average, four homers and nine steals before his promotion.

The Nats probably sent him down with a specific task to work on in order to make it back up to the majors in short order.

In the meantime, Lile will get another shot after a short cameo earlier in the year. Maybe he'll prove he belongs, too.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle