The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking an opportunity on a former top-100 prospect.
On Thursday, the Washington Nationals introduced that they traded outfielder Robert Hassell III to the Pittsburgh Pirates in alternate for money or a participant to be named later. Since he was outrighted off Washington’s 40-man roster on Sunday, Pittsburgh didn’t have to make a corresponding transfer.
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Hassell, who turns 25 subsequent month, was chosen eighth total by the San Diego Padres within the 2020 MLB Draft. He performed elements of two seasons of their farm system earlier than being despatched to the Nationals as a part of the Juan Soto commerce bundle on the 2022 commerce deadline. At that point, he was MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 total prospect and the No. 1 prospect in San Diego’s system.
While a number of the different prospects in Washington’s five-player haul panned out early, Hassell’s profession stalled. He didn’t attain the majors till final yr, when he hit .223/.257/.315 with a 30.1% strikeout fee over 206 plate appearances. The lefty-hitting outfielder fared significantly better in opposition to Triple-A pitching in 2025, posting an .839 OPS over 76 video games.
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Hassell returned to the Triple-A degree to start 2026 however has been unable to duplicate final yr’s success. In 63 video games with Rochester, he posted a .215/.304/.289 (.593 OPS) slash line with two dwelling runs and 21 RBI over 258 plate appearances. He was designated for task on July 5 and finally outrighted off the Nationals’ 40-man roster after going unclaimed on waivers.
According to Pirates insider Alex Stumpf, Hassell will initially report back to the Florida Complex League. There, the previous prime prospect can have a possibility to work on his hitting mechanics in a lower-stakes setting earlier than presumably becoming a member of Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Pittsburgh at the moment has six outfielders on its lively roster. The Pirates even have Oneil Cruz nearing a return from the injured checklist and No. 4 prospect Jhostynxon García at Triple-A, but when Hassell can get again on monitor offensively, he might work his manner into that blend.
This story was initially printed by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2026, the place it first appeared within the MLB part. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.