With rosters expanding to 28 players on Tuesday, the Washington Nationals selected the contracts of infielder Yohandy Morales and left-handed pitcher Jared Simpson from Triple-A Rochester and transferred catcher Drew Millas to the 60-day Injured List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcements.
Morales, 24, joins the Nationals after he ranked in the Minor League system this season in home runs (3rd, 25), runs (3rd, 82), batting average (4th, .286), hits (4th, 116), RBI (4th, 76) and extra-base hits (5th, 44), slugging (6th, .519) and on-base percentage (6th, .882). Morales had multi-hit efforts in four of his final eight Triple-A contests and homered in his last game with Rochester.
A second-round pick by the Nationals in 2023 out of the University of Miami, Morales ranks second in the Nationals Minor League system in RBI (220) and doubles (79), third in hits (385) and fourth in home runs (47) since he was drafted. In all, he hit .285, with 79 doubles, nine triples, 47 home runs, 220 RBI, 151 walks, 19 stolen bases and 227 runs scored in his four Minor League seasons.
Simpson, 26, joins Washington after he pitched to a 2.30 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 58.2 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season. He worked 36 scoreless outings in his 44 games (10 starts) and produced 54 strikeouts in relief, the most by any left-handed Nationals farmhand this season. In nine games from July 26 to Aug. 28., Simpson struck out 21 and allowed just five hits (.091 opponents’ average, 5-for-55) in 16.2 scoreless innings.
An eighth-round pick out of the University of Iowa in 2023, Simpson leads all left-handed Nationals Minor Leaguers with 137 strikeouts in relief since he was drafted. In his four seasons in the Nationals system Simpson pitched to a 3.85 ERA in 96 Minor League games (124.0 innings) with 156 strikeouts and has held opposing hitters to a .191 average.