Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats add two to 40-Man roster

Notes and quotes on the Nationals adding Robert Hassell III and Andry Lara to the 40-Man roster…

Washington Nationals’ GM and President of Baseball Ops Mike Rizzo talked about Robert Hassell III as “a five-tool talent” after acquiring the outfielder as one of five high-end San Diego Padres’ prospects (along with CJ Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, and Jarlin Susana) included in the return for Juan Soto at the trade deadline in 2022.

Hassell III, Rizzo said, is a, “… guy that can hit, hit with power, play defense, throw, run, and steal bases, and his ceiling is high.”

A broken hamate bone suffered in the Arizona Fall League late in ‘22 set the outfielder back, and he struggled in 2023, with a combined .221/.324/.321 line, 16 doubles and nine homers over 121 games and 545 plate appearances between High-A Fredericksburg and Double-A Harrisburg, but he followed up on the tough season with a strong run in the AFL, putting up a .290/.366/.348 line, a double, and a home run in 20 games and 82 PAs.

Hassell III bounced back some in 2024, with a .271/.357/.371 line, six doubles and five home runs in 60 games and 260 PAs at Double-A before he made the jump to Triple-A Rochester, for 17 games to end the season. He posted a combined .241/.319/.328 line, nine doubles, a pair of triples, and five home runs between Class-A Wilmington, Double-, and Triple-A.

Back in the AFL this fall, Hassell III hit seven doubles and four home runs in 22 games and 100 PAs (one homer shy of his total from 362 PAs total this season).

Hassell III told Sportscasting’s Kyle Odegard earlier this month he was cautious with his swing after the hamate bone injury, but started to get comfortable again and started to show some power again and regained confidence:

“‘I’ve been confident my whole life,’ Hassell said … ‘… and then for a year and a half – I can’t believe it lasted that long – it was a really bumpy road.’

“‘I was just trying not to hurt anything,’ Hassell said. ‘I wasn’t even really worried at times about what I was doing on the field, how I was performing.’”

His hope, the outfielder said during his latest AFL run, is to stay healthy this winter, and go into Spring Training and make an impression:

“I’d like to finish all of Spring Training in big league camp and perform – create some opportunities for myself and make it a hard decision for them,” Hassell said. “Apply that pressure on them early, because Spring Training is long enough that I can really open some eyes. If I am back to what I usually do, I can open some eyes.”

Hassell III, (currently ranked 13th in the organization by MLB’s Pipeline scouts), and righty Andry Lara (currently ranked 17th), were both added to the Nationals’ 40-Man roster this week, protecting both from selection in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft next month.

Lara, 21, signed out of Venezuela in 2019, and the right-hander pitched at High-A and AA in 2024, posting a combined 3.34 ERA with 44 walks and 132 Ks in 25 starts and 134 ²⁄₃ IP.

Lara, “… paced Washington’s system in wins (11) and WHIP (1.16), ranked second in innings pitched (134.2 IP) and third in strikeouts (132) in his fourth professional season in 2024,” as the Nationals noted in a press release on the 40-Man roster additions.

“Lara is 23-30 with a 4.40 ERA in 82 games (80 starts),” they noted,” and, “he’s posted a .239 opponents’ batting average, a 1.28 WHIP, and 8.35 strikeouts per 9.0 innings along the way.”