The National announced that outfielder Robert Hassell III has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a 40-man spot for right-hander Eddy Yean, whose contract was selected from Triple-A (The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum and other Nats beat writers noted earlier today that Yean had a locker in the team’s clubhouse.) Washington optioned right-hander Zak Kent to Triple-A in the other corresponding move.
Selected eighth overall by the Padres in the 2020 draft, Hassell was once viewed as one of baseball’s top prospects, and he was one of the six players dealt sent from San Diego to Washington as part of the Juan Soto trade package at the 2022 trade deadline. Some evaluators saw Hassell as the prize of that haul of young talent, but while James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore have since enjoyed success at the big league level, Hassell’s career has stalled.
Hassell didn’t reach the majors until last year, when he hit .223/.257/.315 over 206 plate appearances in his first exposure to MLB pitching. Hassell posted much better numbers with Triple-A Rochester in 2025, but this season has batted only .215/.304/.289 over 258 PA for the Nationals’ top affiliate.
It was enough for the Nationals to expose Hassell to the waiver wire, and there’s a decent chance another team will take a flier on the former first-rounder. Hassell doesn’t turn 25 until August, so a club might feel a change of scenery could help revive some of the outfielder’s past potential. It wouldn’t even be a shock to see Hassell’s former team make a claim, as the Padres are in need of outfield depth and might have interest in a familiar face.
Yean just turned 25 on June 25, so the right-hander will get a late birthday gift in the form of his first Major League call-up. An international signing for the Nationals back in 2018, Yean was traded to the Pirates as part of the Josh Bell trade in December 2020, and Yean only returned to Washington’s farm system after signing a minors deal this past winter.
More of a groundball pitcher than a strikeout artist, Yean managed to blend the two skills this season in Rochester, posting a 27.3% strikeout rate and a 54.1% grounder rate while delivering a 3.60 ERA over 40 bullpen innings. An 11.5% walk rate is a red flag and a continuation of the control problems that have long limited Yean’s effectiveness, but he has potential as something of a late-bloomer reliever if he keeps missing bats and can keep the walks in check.
The Nationals have one of the weaker relief corps in baseball, so there’s an opportunity for Yean to stick around in the Show if he can deliver some effective results. Washington has surprised baseball with a 46-44 record in what seemed to be a rebuilding year, and relief pitching seems like an obvious target area for the Nats if they remain in the wild card hunt by the trade deadline.
