Before the game this afternoon, the Nationals made a bit of a surprising move. When they called up Eddy Yean, we knew that someone was getting DFA’d. In the end, former top prospect Robert Hassell III was the player who got booted off the 40-man roster. Given his pedigree, this move surprised plenty of fans.
However, if you dig into the numbers, this should not
be much of a surprise. Ever since he came over in the Juan Soto trade, Hassell just never really got going. It was truly just an immediate downward slide from the second he entered the Nats organization.
Hassell was the 8th overall pick in the 2020 draft, and looked good in the Padres system. He posted an OPS of .863 in his first pro season, and had an OPS of .846 in High-A prior to the trade. With batting averages around .300, Hassell looked like the pure hitter he was supposed to be coming out of the draft.
However, he struggled out of the gates in the Nats system. He played 10 games in High-A, where he hit .211 with a .548 OPS. Then he got promoted to AA, where he hit .222 with a .607 OPS.
The next two seasons were more of the same for Hassell, where he battled a lingering hamate issue. That pure hitting ability that made him a “safe prospect” was gone. Hassell was hitting the ball on the ground too much, striking out more than a pure hitter should and did not really grow into power.
In 2025, there was a ray of light though. He hit .310 with an .839 OPS in AAA last season, showing some of those hitting chops that made him so highly touted. Hassell also made his MLB debut in 2025, appearing in 70 games.
While Hassell did not light the world on fire in the big leagues, just getting there was a big step in the right direction. He hit just .223 with a .572 OPS. However, he did have some moments. He got a couple hits in his debut and had a big night in Seattle. In the end though, his minor league success did not translate to the big leagues.
It turns out that 2025 was a mirage. In AAA, he had an unsustainable .357 BABIP. His .378 wOBA in AAA was way higher than his .309 xwOBA. A lot of his success last season was just from Hassell being lucky. Based on his pedigree, many thought this was a breakout, but it was just a false dawn.
This season he has not been good at all in AAA. He is hitting just .215 with a .593 OPS. You are not going to last very long on a 40-man roster with stats like that regardless of your pedigree. With all the outfielders in the Nats organization, there was just no more room for Hassell.
At this point, a change of scenery seems like the best option for all parties. We will see if Hassell gets claimed, but a new home feels like the best thing for him. Maybe he could get some of that old magic back in a new organization. It is just not going to happen here.
With his pedigree and option years, Hassell might get claimed. However, it would not be that surprising if he does not based on how poor his season has been. Hassell came into the organization with so much hype, but it just did not work out. It goes to show you that no prospect is a sure thing. I will be rooting for Hassell moving forward, but this move just felt inevitable, whether it was now or in the offseason.
