WASHINGTON – The FaceTime call informing Yohandy Morales he was being promoted to the Major Leagues may have frozen, but Morales stayed hot at the plate in his debut.
Morales smashed a Statcast-projected 407-foot home run off Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver for his first career hit in the third inning on Tuesday in the Nationals’ 9-5 win at Nationals Park. Then, he belted a 104.9 mph double off the center-field wall against lefty Brent Suter, who had a 1.10 ERA in seven appearances in August.
“The best experience ever, for sure,” Morales said. “Everything we dreamed of growing up, and all the hard work that I put in obviously paid off to get to this moment.”
After striking out on three straight pitches in his first at-bat, Morales finished the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored, one RBI and two strikeouts. His three hits are tied for the most by a Nationals player in their debut, matching Andrés Chaparro on Aug. 13, 2024, at Baltimore.
“I was swinging for the fences, for sure,” Morales laughed. “I was just trying to stay under control and try not to do too much, especially after the first at-bat didn’t go so well. I had to relax and calm myself down and just breathe up there.”
Finishing a triple shy of the cycle in his debut, manager Blake Butera was impressed by the total effort.
“Unbelievable all around,” Butera said. “He looked like he wasn’t nervous at all and was ready to roll from the jump.”
Morales had entered Major League Spring Training this February hot off an impressive performance in winter ball. It was his second big league camp, and he was vying for a spot on the Nationals' roster. Instead, Morales struggled, slashing .059/.105/.059 over 11 games. He was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, where he watched multiple teammates who played his position get called up throughout the season as his numbers improved.
“What was cool about YoYo is he didn't hang his head or feel sorry for himself,” said president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. “He went right into the year in Rochester and tore it up and didn't slow down, really, at any point. So it's a testament to YoYo and just the mental fortitude he has.”
Each time the Nationals made a corner infield move – especially when they traded their starting first and third basemen – attention went to the 24-year-old Morales. Would he be the corresponding move? When would his time come?
Morales, meanwhile, stayed focused on the Red Wings. His hard work would pay off, he believed. And it did on Tuesday, when rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players.
Morales had been fishing when Nationals assistant general manager Devin Pearson attempted to FaceTime him with the good news. But the phone service was weak, and the video kept glitching. Eventually, Pearson called him to tell him, “You’re going to The Show.”
“It’s amazing,” said Morales. “As soon as I got the call, the first person I called was my mom. We were all super excited. I got [my family] on a flight right away to come over here. So I’ve been taking my day slow and just enjoying the moment.”
Morales earned the promotion by slashing .286/.363/.519 with an .882 OPS in 104 Triple-A games. In the Nationals' farm system, Morales ranked third in home runs (25) and runs scored (82); fourth in batting average, hits (116) and RBIs (76); fifth in extra-base hits (44); sixth in slugging percentage and seventh in OPS.
“I think the year that YoYo's had has been unbelievable,” said Butera. “I know he started off hot. To be able to sustain that, the damage he's done, the plate discipline he's shown, and then the ability to play third and first at a pretty good level too, all of it has been very impressive.”
The Nationals drafted Morales with the 40th overall pick in 2023 out of the University of Miami. They were happy to land him in the second round, as Morales was a projected first-rounder. Since he joined the organization three years ago, Morales has been second in the Nats' system in RBIs (220) and doubles (79), third in hits (385) and fourth in homers (47). Morales began the 2024 season ranked as the Nationals’ No. 5 prospect, and he remained on their Top 30 list until he was bumped off during this season.
“It feels amazing,” Morales said. “This is what you work for throughout the whole org, trying to come up and contribute to the Major League team. It feels really good, really special.”