The Nationals announced that they have added outfielder and right-hander to their 40-man roster. Both players are now protected from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, with the deadline for such moves coming at 5pm Central today. Washingtons 40-man roster count climbs to 38. Ha sell, now 23, was one of six players who went from the Padres to the Nationals in Ryan Anderson Jersey the . At the time, Ha sell was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the league, having been selected eighth overall in 2020 and then performing well in the lower levels of the minors. His stock has fallen since the trade thanks to some uneven results as he has battled wrist injuries. He spent most of 2023 in Double-A, getting into 106 games at that level. His 10.9% walk rate was solid but he also struck out at a huge 31.9% clip. He produced a line of .225/.316/.324 for a wRC+ of 81. In 2024, he got into 85 games acro s multiple levels, lowering his strikeout rate to just 21% but his .241/.319/.328 batting line wasnt much of an improvement. However, he is just coming off a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. He got 100 plate appearances there acro s 22 games, hitting .281/.360/.517 in those. Its a small sample but an encouraging sign nonethele s. Though Ha sell isnt really considered a top 100 guy anymore, its po sible that overcoming his wrist injuries could get him back on track going forward. The Nats clearly didnt want him to get plucked away by another club, so hes been added to the roster today to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. The Nats have , and as their likely outfield trio at the moment but Ha sell will give them some optionable depth. If he performs well enough to earn his major league debut, perhaps Young could be pushed into a fourth outfielder role, though the designated hitter slot is also fairly open at the moment. That could allow enough room in the lineup for everyone but that will naturally depend on what moves the club makes in the remainder of the offseason. Lara, 22 in January, was an amateur signing out of Venezuela who just wrapped up a breakout season in the minors. From 2021 to 2023, he posted a 4.97 earned run average acro s various minor league levels with a 20.8% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. This past year, he made 25 starts between High-A and Double-A with a 3.34 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. The Nats gave him a roster spot today to keep him away from other clubs. He will presumably get a bump to Triple-A at some point in 2025 and give the club some optionable starting depth. The clubs projected rotation is fairly lacking in experience, as none of , , , , or has reached 400 major league innings pitched yet. Gore and Irvin are the only two of that group with more than 151 frames. The Nats could bolster that squad by signing or trading for a veteran this winter, but if any of those in-house guys struggle or get injured, Lara will be around and battling for a shot to make his major league debut. Tyler Herro Jersey