Nationals Should Look to Give This Veteran Infielder More Playing Time Soon

The Washington Nationals have had a rough start to 2025, should they consider giving more playing time to one of their key infielders?

May 24, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Amed Rosario (13) throws to first for an out during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have had an immensely difficult opening to their 2025 season, sitting in fourth place among National League East teams with a 24-29 record. This has become a discussion around the media landscape as of late, with many hailing the team as a failed rebuild or a team lacking true direction.

One of the biggest issues is just an inability to develop their talents on a feasible timeline, as many of their best young players were already in a good position entering the year. Not spending to supplement a young core is also part of that issue, but that's another discussion entirely.

Roster decisions are going to be one of the most critical components to getting this team back on track this season, and one of the easiest ones to make comes with the designated hitter spot, and trying to find a new solution there.

Josh Bell has not found much momentum whatsoever in the early quarter of the season, and with that, it may be time to move a player into that spot who has not found his footing on defense but has been one of the best on the team at the plate so far. That being Amed Rosario.

Why Would Moving Rosario to Designated Hitter Help the Nationals?

Amed Rosario has not seen a ton of playing time this year, getting work in 27 of the team's 53 games. During that span, though, he has been immensely successful on the offensive side, slashing .303/.333/.449 with 13 runs, 12 RBI, two home runs, seven doubles, and 14 strikeouts to two walks. While his plate discipline has been less than optimal, he has made up for it with quality and efficient contact.

His biggest drawback has been his defense, ranking in the 1st percentile in outs above average with negative six according to Baseball Savant. Moving him to a position where he can focus solely on his hitting would likely benefit him quite a bit, and in return, moving Bell out of the DH spot where he has worked for 39 games this year, may end up helping the team turn things around.

Bell is by no means a bad player, but he is most certainly in a slump, slashing .151/.254/.289 with 15 RBI, 14 runs, six home runs, and 40 strikeouts to 19 walks in nearly double the amount of at-bats compared to Rosario. Giving him a chance to revitalize himself and allowing him to work on his mechanics while Rosario takes the wheel would likely benefit the franchise moving forward.