The Nationals are calling up corner infield prospect Yohandy Morales with active rosters expanding on Tuesday, reports Yordano Carmona of Pelota Cubana USA. Washington already has an opening on the 40-man roster after releasing Trevor Williams.
Morales would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not added to the 40-man roster at season’s end. Washington wasn’t likely to let that happen, so the only question was whether they’d take a look in September. Morales has hit well this season at Triple-A Rochester, popping 25 home runs with a .286/.363/.519 batting line in 455 plate appearances.
A second-round pick in 2023 out of Miami, Morales is a 6’3″ hitter with plus raw power from the right side. He hadn’t fully gotten to it in games until this season. He missed time in 2024 with a thumb injury and had a solid but unexceptional 15-homer campaign in the minors last year. This year’s batted ball metrics in Triple-A (51% hard contact rate, 91.5 mph average exit velocity) support the scouting evaluations of his strength.
Like a lot of power bats, Morales faces questions from evaluators about his pure hitting ability and positional fit. He has split his defensive work between the two corner infield spots, playing mostly first base of late. Morales has a slightly higher than average 24.4% strikeout rate against a 9.5% walk percentage with a fairly aggressive offensive approach. He’s outside the organization’s top 30 prospects at MLB Pipeline and placed 27th on Baseball America’s update in July.
Andrés Chaparro and Abimelec Ortiz are splitting the first base and designated hitter reps after the Nationals traded Luis García Jr. to the Yankees. Brady House is getting most of the run at the hot corner. Chaparro has hit quite well, while Ortiz is another rookie whom the Nationals acquired as part of last offseason’s MacKenzie Gore trade. Morales will probably play a bench role and spell Ortiz against left-handed pitching down the stretch.
