The Nationals promoted Hassell from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell missed nearly two months of action earlier this summer with a right hand injury and had struggled to shake off the rust upon returning from Harrisburg's injured list Aug. 20. Though he slashed just .238/.306/.381 with two home runs and one stolen base in 11 games following his return to the Double-A lineup, Hassell will nonetheless be awarded his first promotion to the Triple-A level for the final three weeks of the season. Rochester likely had an opening in its everyday outfield for Hassell after the Nationals recently called up prospects Dylan Crews and Darren Baker from Triple-A.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Back in action at Double-A
Rotowire
Hassell (hand) went 2-for-5 at the plate for Double-A Harrisburg in his return from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.
The 23-year-old outfielder was back in action for Harrisburg for the first time since June 11 after an extended absence due to a right hand injury. Before being activated, Hassell played in eight rehab games for High-A Wilmington, going 7-for-27 with six runs and four RBI.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Shut down with injury
Rotowire
Double-A Harrisburg placed Hassell on its 7-day injured list Wednesday with an unspecified injury, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell will join one of the Nationals' other top outfield prospects, James Wood (hamstring), on Harrisburg's injured list. Over 215 plate appearances at Double-A on the season, Hassell has hit .278 with three home runs and 11 stolen bases.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Raking at Double-A
Rotowire
Hassell was named the Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old outfielder has been on a heater longer than just one week, however. Hassell has nine multi-hit performances in the last 14 games for Double-A Harrisburg, slashing .434/.508/.585 over that stretch with two homers, nine steals in 10 attempts and a 7:12 BB:K. The improvement in his plate discipline is especially noteworthy -- in 106 games for Harrisburg last season he had a 31.9 percent strikeout rate, a number he's cut down to 19.3 percent through 24 contests in 2024. A promotion to Triple-A for Hassell should be coming shortly, but the Nationals might be waiting to bump James Wood up to the majors to open up a starting job in the outfield at Rochester.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Set to play in exhibition
Rotowire
Hassell (groin) is listed among the Nationals prospects on the "Futures Roster" for Tuesday's exhibition against current Washington players, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell had been attending big-league spring training with the Nationals but didn't appear in any Grapefruit League games since March 8 due to a groin strain. His inclusion on the roster for the upcoming exhibition implies that he'll be ready to go for the start of the minor-league season. Hassell will most likely head back to Double-A Harrisburg after he posted a .640 OPS in 476 plate appearances with the affiliate in 2023.
Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Hassell has been diagnosed with a strained groin, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Hassell suffered the injury during a Grapefruit League game last week. He's not been shut down and will still able to do some baseball activities, but Hassell isn't scheduled to play in any games for a while. Once healthy, the 22-year-old is likely to begin the season at Double-A Harrisburg.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Sent for MRI on injured groin
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Hassell (groin) will undergo an MRI on Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell tweaked his groin Friday and hasn't made enough progress in the days since to avoid an MRI. The 22-year-old has impressed this spring in slashing .357/.412/.786 with three home runs and is likely headed to Double-A Harrisburg to start the season, once healthy.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Dealing with groin tightness
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Manager Dave Martinez revealed Saturday that Hassell is day-to-day with groin tightness, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell left Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals with the injury. The 22-year-old struggled in Double-A last season but is slashing .357/.412/.786 with three home runs and six RBI over 14 at-bats in spring training.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Feels fully over injury
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Hassell went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.
He also struck out in his third plate appearance, and his hit tool remains the biggest concern for Hassell, but per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, the 22-year-old outfielder indicated after the game that he feels fully recovered from a broken hamate bone he suffered in the 2022 Arizona Fall League. "I'm definitely clear of it now," Hassell said. "[The hand] was hurting me for a while. [I] didn't realize that really until coming in this year with how good I felt." Hassell has seen his status plummet after his rough performance last season, but he was viewed as a elite prospect prior to being included in the package the Padres sent to the Nationals in the Juan Soto trade in August 2022. He'll need to rebound in a big way if he wants to be seen as a key part of Washington's future outfield, with Dylan Crews and James Wood now firmly ahead of him on the path to the majors.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Will get another crack at AFL
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Hassell will play in the Arizona Fall League this October, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com report.
The 22-year-old has seen his prospect status dim significantly in 2023 after he stumbled to a combined .221/.324/.321 slash line over 121 games between High-A and Double-A, and Hassell's decline began when he broken the hamate bone in his wrist in last year's AFL. He has shown signs of life at the plate late in the season for Double-A Harrisburg however, slashing .281/.349/.351 in September with a marginally improved 25.4 percent strikeout rate, and a strong showing in Arizona could get his career back on track.
Hassell is hitting .227 with three home runs, nine steals and a 32.2 percent strikeout rate in 52 games for Double-A Harrisburg.
Hassell's 27.9 percent hard-hit rate and 14.3 percent soft-hit rate are solid marks for a player who projects as a leadoff or No. 2 hitter. Unfortunately, his plate skills appear to have really backed up since his 2022 run at High-A, before he was included in the package San Diego sent to Washington for Juan Soto.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Reports to Double-A
Rotowire
Hassell (wrist) was reinstated from Double-A Harrisburg's 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Hassell played in 14 rehab games with Single-A Fredericksburg while completing his recovery from a wrist injury that first popped up in early March. The 21-year-old outfielder entered the 2023 campaign as a consensus top-100 prospect after posting a .763 OPS with 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 112 games last season between High-A and Double-A.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Starts up rehab assignment
Rotowire
Hassell (wrist), who was placed on Double-A Harrisburg's 7-day injured list April 6, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell missed much of spring training with a wrist issue that's apparently unrelated to the broken hamate bone he suffered in the Arizona Fall League, but he looks to have just about made a full recovery from the injury. He'll likely appear in at least a couple games with Fredericksburg to get his timing back at the plate before he reports to Harrisburg.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Sidelined with new wrist issue
Rotowire
Hassell is currently sidelined in Nationals camp with a new wrist injury, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports.
It is apparently unrelated to the right hamate bone fracture that Hassell sustained in the 2022 Arizona Fall League. There is no timetable as to when the 21-year-old top outfield prospect might begin appearing in live games. He had been ticketed for Double-A Harrisburg to open the 2023 regular season.
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Nationals' Robert Hassell: Recovered from hamate injury
Rotowire
Manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Hassell is fully recovered from surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Hassell broke his hamate bone while playing in the Arizona Fall League in October, and he wasn't invited to the major-league side of Nationals camp so that he could ease back into workouts at his own pace. The 21-year-old top outfield prospect is expected to open the 2023 season at Double-A Harrisburg. He could feasibly make his MLB debut in the second half.
Hassell was diagnosed Wednesday with a broken hamate bone in his right wrist and will miss the remainder of the Arizona Fall League, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
The 21-year-old outfield prospect will undergo surgery to address the injury and is expected to require 6-to-8 weeks of recovery. Barring any setbacks, Hassell should be 100 percent for spring training, when he'll be entering his first full season as a member of the Nationals organization after he was acquired in August as part of the prospect haul in the deal that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. Hassell was quickly bumped up from the High-A level following his arrival in Washington but struggled in his first taste of Double-A, slashing .213/.303/.287 with a 28.7 percent strikeout rate across 122 plate appearances with Harrisburg.
