WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- With his interest sparked early in camp, Nationals manager Dave Martinez penciled Jeter Downs into the starting shortstop spot for the split-squad home opener on Sunday.

“He’s intriguing,” Martinez said Sunday morning before the Nationals’ 3-2 walk-off win over the Astros. “So far, I like what he does. He moves well.”

Hours later, in the third inning, Downs didn’t just move, he dashed after a fly ball hit by Kyle Tucker with his back to the infield, veered to his left, outstretched his left arm across his chest and swiped the ball into his glove as he landed on the grass in left-center field. Downs bounced up with the inning-ending out in hand to be greeted by congratulations from center fielder Victor Robles and left fielder Corey Dickerson.

“I knew it was hit soft, so I had to go get it,” said Downs. “The center fielder was playing kind of deep. It’s funny, I also heard the second baseman, Jake Alu, he was like, ‘Go get it, Jeet!’ I actually ran right first, and then I saw the ball was coming back left, so then I don’t know, the ball found me. … It’s one of those plays where you don’t know what happens; you just go out, you’re just doing it. Jake gave me the encouragement to go get it.”

Downs made the play look seamless, but pulling off the defensive grab required navigating a difficult pathway in a matter of seconds.

“He’s got range,” said Martinez. “That’s a very difficult play, but he went a long way. He made a heck of a play on it.”

For Downs, the most gratifying aspect of making a defensive play of that magnitude is helping the pitcher, in this case Joan Adon. Trevor Williams and Cade Cavalli, who had pitched the first and second innings, respectively, took notice of the play.

“I saw it on TV, which was insane,” said Williams. “I’m sure I’ll be watching that again tonight.”’

Said Cavalli, who was getting in extra work in the bullpen at the time: “That was an awesome play. I was getting hyped in the ‘pen for him. It’s good to see him do that.”

This Spring Training is a reset for the 24-year-old Downs, who also smoothly snagged a Jake Meyers line drive that got stuck in the webbing of his glove in the first inning.

A first-round pick out of high school by the Reds in the 2017 Draft, Downs was traded to the Dodgers in ‘18 and then to the Red Sox in 2020. Downs was ranked by MLB Pipeline as Boston’s No. 1 prospect in ‘20 and No. 2 prospect in ‘21. Last June, he made his Major League debut with Boston and appeared in 14 games, during which he batted .154 with one home run, one double and four RBIs.

The Red Sox designated him for assignment in December, and the Nationals claimed him on outright waivers the following week.

“Definitely a fresh start,” said Downs, who is the Nationals' No. 29 prospect. “But also, we’re baseball players. I feel like we’re always continuing that growth in the game. You’re never satisfied. There’s always a learning experience, there’s always something to get better at, there’s always something to work at. That’s how I try to go about my business, and take it one day at a time.”

The Nats covet defensive versatility, and Martinez plans for Downs to get reps at second base in camp, too. With a young middle-infield foundation of CJ Abrams and Luis García in place, the Nationals are eyeing depth to add around the pair of 22-year-olds.

“He’s still got a lot left in his future,” said Martinez. “We want him to kind of slow the game down a little bit. I told him, ‘You put up some numbers in the Minor Leagues, you got rushed to the big leagues, then you got traded. Everything happened so quick for you.’ It's almost a breath of fresh air for him here, and I think he feels that way.”