Nationals Shockingly Designated Former Top Prospect for Assignment
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When the Washington Nationals hired Paul Toboni to be the franchise's new president of baseball operations, it was expected that some significant roster moves would be made.
Players like infielder Luis Garcia Jr. and pitchers Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker were seen as possible non-tender candidates, with the thought being that Toboni would make some changes upon his hiring. However, that was not the case, as Toboni decided to use the 2026 season as a long-term evaluation period.
But, due to bullpen struggles and injuries beginning to mount, the first-year executive has put his stamp on things throughout the season by making roster moves. And now, he has made the most surprising decision to date with the choice to designated outfielder Robert Hassell III for assignment.
Nationals DFA Robert Hassell III as Part of Latest Roster Move
Per an announcement from the team, the Nationals DFA'd the former top prospect as the corresponding move following the selection of right-handed pitcher Eddy Yean's contract. Washington had to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Yean, and they decided to cut ties with Hassell to make that happen.
Hassell, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres as a key part of the return for Juan Soto in 2022, made his major league debut in 2025. He appeared in 70 games across the entirety of the campaign, and he slashed .223/.257/.315 with three home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 18 RBIs.
The 24-year-old has never lived up to the hype he had as a prospect when he peaked at No. 35 in the sport during 2023, as ranked by MLB Pipeline, though. And during this season with Triple-A Rochester, he has regressed with a .215/.304/.289 slash line across 63 games with just two homers, 13 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs.
It will be interesting to see what happens now that Hassell is available for other teams to claim. While he has been disappointing as a professional, he also is only 24 years old and was previously the No. 8 overall pick of the 2020 draft. So some team out there might decide to take a chance on him to see if they can develop him into being an impactful major league player at some point in his career.
Eddy Yean Set to Make MLB Debut
On the other side of things, Yean is now set to make his MLB debut after he had his contract selected by the big league club.
Originally signed by Washington as an international free agent back in 2017, the right-hander was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020 in a deal that brought in infielder Josh Bell. Then, following five years within the Pirates' organization where he worked his way up from Single-A to Triple-A, Yean returned to the nation's capital ahead of this season when he inked a minor league deal.
Now, after posting a 3.60 ERA across 39 outings and 40 innings pitched with 45 strikeouts to 19 walks, the 25-year-old will have an opportunity to prove why he should be a featured part of this bullpen going forward.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai