Nats select Young, option Downs and transfer Garrett

MIAMI – It seemed like only a matter of time before the Nationals made another roster move. After Stone Garrett’s injury and subsequent successful surgery on his fractured left fibula, the Nats had a shortage of true outfielders and a surplus of infielders, whose versatility allows them to play the outfield in a pinch.

So to add an outfielder to their roster, the Nats brought up one of their fastest-rising prospects: Jacob Young.

“We wanted to get another outfielder up here and Jacob has done really well,” said manager Davey Martinez before the Nats’ second game against the Marlins. “He's one of our young, up-and-coming prospects that has developed really well down there in the minor leagues for us. So we're gonna give him an opportunity to play. He just got here today, so gonna ease him in. But I'm looking forward to watching him play up here and utilize everything he can do because he can do a lot of different things. He could play all three outfield positions. He's a leadoff-type guy. He gets on base, steals bases for us. He's got a lot of speed. But we're gonna ease his way in and hopefully he does well. As good as he's done in the minor leagues, he comes up here and can give us a little bit of a spark again.”

No, Young is not as highly touted as Dylan Crews, James Wood, Robert Hassell III, Elijah Green or Cristhian Vaquero, as he is the Nats’ No. 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline. But the 24-year-old has been one of the best hitters in the Nationals system, allowing him to quickly rise through the ranks.

A 2021 seventh-round pick out of the University of Florida, Young has hit wherever he’s been on the Nats farm. He is hitting .305 on the year with 21 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 58 RBIs, 42 walks, 39 stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 112 games between three levels of Washington’s minor league system.

“It was really exciting,” Young said of his promotion while standing in front of his locker in the Nationals clubhouse with a No. 30 jersey hanging in it. “My parents were luckily with me, actually, visiting up in Rochester. So to be able to tell them in person was an awesome experience. And something I'll always remember.”

Young leads the Nats system with 132 hits and ranks second with his .305 average and 39 stolen bases. He also ranks in the top 10 among Nationals farmhands in runs (tied for third, 60), triples (tied for third, five), on-base percentage (fourth, .376), extra-base hits (tied for fifth, 32), RBIs (sixth, 58), OPS (sixth, .794), doubles (sixth, 21) and slugging percentage (ninth, .418).

Young was the Nationals’ 2022 Minor League Base Runner of the Year. He was one of two players in all of Minor League Baseball to steal at least 50 bases and score at least 100 runs. His 118 runs scored were tied for the most in all of the minor leagues, while his 52 stolen bases were the most among Nationals minor leaguers.

The speedster has swiped 91 bags over the last two years while starting at Single-A Fredericksburg last year, then beginning this year at High-A Wilmington before moving to Double-A Harrisburg, then playing only four games at Triple-A Rochester before getting his first major league call.

Young is not in the starting lineup for Saturday’s game in Miami. But Martinez said the Jacksonville native will get plenty of playing time after he settles in with the big league club.

“I want him to play,” Martinez said. “I've watched him. I've watched the way he's played the game. He plays the game the right way. So he's gonna get a chance to go out there and play for the most part every day. Like I said, we'll play him some center field, play him some left field and then we'll go from there. But I want to see what he can do.”

In corresponding roster moves, the Nationals optioned Jeter Downs to Rochester and transferred Garrett to the 60-day injured list.

Downs hasn’t played since he was recalled from Rochester when Garrett initially landed on the injured list Thursday.