Nationals Reveal Who Their Two Callups Are as MLB Rosters Expand

The Washington Nationals called up two players as roster expanded.

Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Teams across Major League Baseball have had Sept. 1 circled on their calendars for some time since that meant rosters expanded from 26 to 28 men. And for the Washington Nationals, there was a lot of speculation about who they might promote.

The two most popular names were right-handed pitcher Luis Perales and infielder Seaver King. Perales seemed like a lock to be called up, but because he was eventually promoted before rosters expanded, there were still two spots open on the ride up to The Show.

If fans had it their way, King would have already been playing for the Nationals. He has had an incredible season to date, which earned him an honor as one of the organization's Minor League Players of the Year. However, he didn't get the promotion to the majors like many were anticipating, as Washington went in two different directions.

Yohandy Morales, Jared Simpson Called Up by the Nationals

Washington Nationals prospect Yohandy Morales | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first callup was reported before the fact, as former top 30 prospect Yohandy Morales will finally get his opportunity to showcase what he can do at the big league level after he's been impressive in Triple-A for the past season-and-a-half.

Morales has big-time pop with 25 home runs, 44 extra-base hits and 76 RBIs this year. He's been one of the best minor leaguers for the Nationals throughout the campaign with a slash line of .286/.363/.519, and the hope is that translates to the majors.

There are concerns if that will be the case, though. He has questionable swing decisions and has struggled with high velocity. So this final month will be a real test for Morales, and it could determine his future with the franchise.

The second player who got called up was left-handed pitcher Jared Simpson.

Selected in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of the University of Iowa, the 26-year-old has had a massive breakout this season with a cumulative ERA of 2.30 across 44 appearances (10 starts) at the Double- and Triple-A levels. He has also recorded 73 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings pitched with just 38 walks, so he is bringing some more "stuff" to a unit that has been sorely lacking it.

Simpson is someone to monitor coming down the final stretch of the season. Washington already looks like they have an impact bullpen arm on their hands in Erik Tolman, who they promoted for his major league debut in August. If Simpson can have that same level of impact, then this bullpen unit will be in a much better spot heading into a crucial offseason than many might have anticipated based on how poorly that group has performed throughout the year.

While there is certainly some disappointment because King didn't get promoted at this time, both Morales and Simpson offer some intrigue for this fanbase since that duo will try to carve out a long-term role for themselves in the bigs with the Nationals.