WASHINGTON -- The Nationals shook up their roster with a flurry of moves Tuesday. The transactions were headlined by the return of 2023 No. 2 Draft pick, Dylan Crews, and the demotion of starting third baseman Brady House. Let’s break down the moves and how they impact the team.
Why was now the right time to recall Crews?
The decision to option Crews to Triple-A during Spring Training was always intended to be temporary, giving the 24-year-old time to reset and establish himself offensively after a rookie season of struggles.
The team had been monitoring his at-bats daily. Crews hit safely in 15 of his past 17 games with Rochester, with a .308 batting average, a .585 slugging percentage, seven doubles, one triple, three homers, 11 RBIs, six walks and two stolen bases.
“He's just been torching the ball,” president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said. “I think he's got close to 20 balls hit over 100 mph in his last 10 or 11 games. I think what has really allowed that is he’s just really locked in on his approach and being able to control the zone. His whiff has been down. He's been really, really good.”
With Crews back in the outfield mix, the Nationals will have defensive rotation options. This includes Jacob Young, who is feeling better after being hit in the ribs by a pitch on Monday. Crews can play all over the outfield, and manager Blake Butera will be able to give Daylen Lile and James Wood more days at DH to get them off their feet.
“The big thing for [Crews] was just getting back to who he is,” said Butera. “He hits the ball really hard. Sometimes he can try to do too much there, which then causes him to chase a little bit more often. So we told him we want him to bring down the chase a little bit and just get back to being a good hitter, which to us is being himself, not trying to do too much. That way, he doesn't feel like he's cheating or overexposing himself to pitches outside of the zone.”
Why was House demoted to Triple-A?
The Nationals hope time in Rochester can give House the same kind of reset as Crews experienced. The team has emphasized that House is only 22 years old, and he reached the Majors only 11 months ago.
“I was like, ‘This is hard for you to hear and understand, probably, in the moment, but the reason we're doing this is because of how highly we think of you and value you,’” Butera said. “‘The best thing for you and your development is to go to Triple-A.’ … He needs to not be afraid to make mistakes. He needs to learn a little bit more about what goes into the mental side of this game, what that looks like to have success both defensively and offensively.”
House was slashing .227/.282/.399 with a .681 OPS. His splits were glaring this season: a .354 batting average vs. lefty pitchers compared to .174 against righties.
“We told him he has the tools to be a Major League third baseman for a long time and help us win for a long time,” Butera said. “But right now, with how our roster is constructed, I don't think it's the best thing for him to do, fight for his life up here, maybe only play mostly against lefties. He needs to play every day.”
House was selected by the Nationals as a shortstop out of high school with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 Draft. He had a .905 fielding percentage with an MLB-high-tying eight errors this season.
“I think Brady has a chance to be a Gold Glove infielder, and I really believe that,” said Toboni. “I think Brady would say it himself -- there were times where he almost felt like he was on the defensive playing defense. And I think when Brady is at his best, it's like this cocky, ‘I'm going to go make all these plays and look great doing it’ type mentality. So some of it is a mental component, but I think the other piece is, technically, there are some things that he can clean up -- and he will.”
What does this mean for Joey Wiemer in the long run?
The addition of Crews eliminated playing time for Wiemer. The 27-year-old had a breakthrough start to the season, and he was batting .286 with a .912 OPS in 32 games.
“That was a really tough conversation,” said Toboni. “He’s obviously been playing his tail off. He handled it awesome.”
Wiemer has played 14 games in right field, 11 in center, three as a DH and even two as a position-player pitcher. The Nationals' outfield depth is crowded at the Major League and Triple-A level, but Wiemer already has made a case to return.
“[I told him,] ‘This is not fun, almost not fair, you're playing really well,’” Butera said. “It just really came down to, if he stayed here with Dylan coming up, there was no avenue for him to play, which we didn't think was right for him. So who knows how long it stays this way. But the way our roster is currently constructed, there was absolutely no playing time for Joey. But I don't see that being the case all year long. At some point, I'm sure he'll be back up here and impact our team again.”
Where does Andrés Chaparro fit into the roster moves?
Chaparro rejoins the Nationals for his third stint this season. The right-handed-hitter gives Washington a first-base platoon option with Luis García Jr. now that Curtis Mead will be seeing more time at third base.
“Having Chappy up here being able to play the infield, get the majority of his reps against left-handed pitching, I think it makes the roster much more functional for Blake and the rest of the group,” said Toboni.