Hassell, House among latest cuts; López dealing with hip issue

JUPITER, Fla. – Robert Hassell III and Brady House turned heads with their performances this spring. Not enough to earn either young prospect a spot on the Nationals’ Opening Day roster.

The Nats optioned Hassell to Triple-A Rochester today and reassigned House to minor league camp today, telling the outfielder and third baseman they want to see them continue their spring training production into the regular season before calling either up for his major league debut.

The club also optioned infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A and reassigned reliever Clay Helvey and outfielders Stone Garrett and Andrew Pinckney to minor league camp, bringing the total number of healthy players left in major league camp to 35.

Hassell didn’t come to camp with a realistic chance at making the roster, given his past injury issues and the organization’s longstanding philosophy of putting top prospects in the majors only if they’re going to get regular playing time. But he made about as compelling a case as he could, batting .378 (17-for-45) with five doubles, a homer, five RBIs and several highlight-reel plays in the outfield.

With James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews expected to play close to every day to begin the season, there shouldn’t be many opportunities for the Nationals’ fourth outfielder to start. Alex Call, who also has put together an impressive spring, is set to hold that job for now, providing a right-handed bat off the bench, a fast pinch-runner and solid defense at any of the three outfield positions.

Hassell, one of the five prospects acquired from the Padres in the August 2022 blockbuster trade for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, dealt with hand and wrist injuries each of the last two seasons. He’s fully healthy now, but with only 17 games of Triple-A experience, the club wants to see him play every day in Rochester and continue to produce before making the decision to promote him.

House, the club’s top pick in the 2021 Draft, continues to be viewed as the long-term plan at third base. The 21-year-old also reached Triple-A last summer and put up strong numbers this spring: a .333 average (7-for-21), one double, one RBI, four walks.

The Nationals, though, indicated their intention to wait for House to make his debut when they signed veteran infielder Paul DeJong to a $1 million deal last month. DeJong is expected to be the Opening Day third baseman but could be squeezed out if and when House shows he’s ready to be promoted.

Lipscomb nearly made the Opening Day roster last year after batting .400 in spring training and wound up getting promoted one day into the season when third baseman Nick Senzel fractured a finger during pregame drills. The 24-year-old proceeded to spend his season going back and forth between D.C. and Rochester, slashing .200/.268/.232 in 61 games. The organization is having him focus more on playing around the infield this year, envisioning his future as a utility man.

Garrett had already been designated for assignment earlier this month and taken off the 40-man roster. But when the outfielder cleared waivers, he was retained by the Nationals and invited back to big league camp. He’ll now open the season in Rochester and attempt to earn his way back.

Pinckney, a fourth-round pick in 2023, impressed in his first big league camp and is viewed along with Hassell and Daylen Lile as the organization’s next wave of young outfielders who could push the current group if they perform at Triple-A.

Helvey, a 28-year-old reliever signed to a minor league deal after six seasons in the Giants system, did not allow an earned run in 9 2/3 innings this spring. The right-hander did walk eight batters, though. He could be among the options considered for a promotion when the Nationals need bullpen help this season.

* Jorge López is dealing with a left hip issue, but the veteran reliever should still be on track to make the Opening Day roster if he can return to pitch in the next few days.

López hasn’t pitched since March 10, one of only three Grapefruit League appearances by the 32-year-old so far this spring. The Nationals have held him back since because of his hip, but he was set to throw a light bullpen session today.

“They put him on some medication to calm it down, inflammatory stuff,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’ll see how that goes, and hopefully we get him out there either tomorrow or the next day.”

If the bullpen session goes well, López could be good to return to game action Thursday or Friday. That doesn’t give him a lot of time to prepare before Opening Day, but Martinez expressed optimism he’ll still be ready even if he pitches only a couple more times this spring.

“These guys that come out of the bullpen, three or four outings is going to be good for them,” Martinez said. “He said he’s never really thrown more than five in spring training. But I want to make sure the hip doesn’t become an issue, and it becomes a bigger problem.”

Signed this winter for $3 million, López is slated to be one of the Nats’ primary setup men and could get some save opportunities if closer Kyle Finnegan isn’t available on a given day.