The Washington Nationals swapped one first-rounder on their major league roster for another.
The team sent third baseman Brady House to Triple-A Rochester after Monday night’s loss to the New York Mets. The team replaced him by calling up outfielder Dylan Crews on Tuesday.
Crews, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, made his MLB debut in 2024 and spent half of the 2025 season with the Nationals. He struggled to adapt to the big leagues, though. The LSU product has managed just a .211 batting average with Washington, posting a meager .352 slugging percentage through 118 games.
New manager Blake Butera and lead executive Paul Toboni decided to start Crews at Triple-A this season in a surprising move.
Crews is back in the majors, less than two months later. He was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday as part of a roster shuffle. Washington also recalled Andrés Chaparro from Rochester and optioned outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Red Wings.
Crews posted an improved .258 batting average in Rochester to start the season, a promising enough beginning to land him back in the majors. He batted sixth and played center Tuesday against the Mets.
“You’re never trying to think about being called back up,” Crews said. “I was just so focused on the process down there and trying to stack good days down there and be present as much as I could.”
A spot in Washington’s outfield opened up on Monday night when center fielder Jacob Young left the game after being hit by a pitch in the ribs. Butera described Young as day-to-day after X-rays showed no fractures.
House will take Crews’ spot in Triple-A after a rocky path through the first two months of the season. The 2021 first-round pick has struggled defensively, ranking second in MLB with eight errors.
House’s performance at the plate has been more promising, though he lacks consistency. Against southpaws, House managed a .354 average with a strong .563 slugging percentage. The 22-year-old struggled against righties with a .174 average and 37 strikeouts in 115 at-bats.
“We told him he has the tools to be a major league third baseman for a long time and help us win for a long time,” Butera said. “Right now, with how our roster is constructed, we don’t think it’s the best thing for him to fight for his life up here and maybe only play mostly against lefties. He needs to play every day.”
Toboni said Crews’ hitting had started to click in the last three weeks. That came after Crews started slow in Rochester after hitting .103 with no extra-base hits in 29 spring training at-bats.
“While the results on the surface line haven’t really jumped out, kind of under the hood he’s had a lot of really good at-bats and hit the ball really hard,” Toboni said.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.