Trey

Lipscomb

Lipscomb is coming up as the corresponding move with CJ Abrams optioned to the minor leagues. He’ll serve as infield depth for the last eight games of the season.

Lipscomb heads back to the minors after batting .207 (38-for-184) with one homer and 11 steals in 58 games this season for the Nationals. The 24-year-old infielder will continue to play everyday at the Triple-A level before getting another shot in Washington.

The Nationals should have promoted either José Tena or Andrés Chaparro in Lipscomb’s place when they initially acquired the two infielders at the trade deadline, but they decided to have them open up in Triple-A instead. One imagines that the change will come soon, probably to Tena but maybe instead to Brady House. Lipscomb has been a disaster since returning to the majors, hitting .156/.206/.188 in 69 plate appearances. He’s at just .209/.275/.242 in 202 plate appearances overall.

If Lipscomb was especially uncomfortable at the plate tonight, it’s probably not just because he’s struggled so mightily in his time with the Nationals this season. No, it might have had something to do with the fact that the team has picked up three possible alternatives at third base in recent days. Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrés Chapparro both fit better at first than third, but José Tena is ready for a long look and pretty clearly seems like a better option than Lipscomb against righties. Lipscomb is hitting just .213/.277/.247 in 196 plate appearances overall. He’s at .167/.200/.206 in 63 plate appearances since being summoned as Nick Senzel’s replacement on July 6.

This is great for Tena, who probably didn’t have a future in the crowded Cleveland infield. The 23-year-old has been a great Triple-A hitter, coming in at .308/.365/.522 in 111 career games at the level, and he’s a solid defensive shortstop with experience at both second and third. That doesn’t necessarily make him a long-term regular, but he’d probably be an immediate upgrade from Trey Lipscomb as a third baseman against righties. He still might be overtaken by Brady House at that position eventually.

Lipscomb is back for another stint with the Nationals after batting .237 (28-for-118) with one homers and 10 steals across 133 plate appearances over 38 games earlier this year. The 24-year-old rookie’s stolen base potential is intriguing for fantasy managers in extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats. He’s going to get some extended runway at third base moving forward following Washington’s decision to jettison veteran Nick Senzel.

This will result in a little more time for Nick Senzel at third base. Lipscomb was batting .237/.311/.271 with 10 steals in 133 plate appearances for the Nationals.

Lipscomb replaces Joey Gallo, who injured his hamstring. This will be Lipscomb’s third stint with the Nationals this season. In 33 games, he had a .252 AVG and a .621 OPS but a solid 19.4 percent strikeout rate and 10 steals. His speed would give him some deep league value if he gets a chance to play regularly, but he can be left on the waiver wire in most league types.

The 23-year-old became an unfortunate roster casualty on Friday with Joey Gallo (shoulder) returning from the injured list. In 122 plate appearances with the Nats, Lipscomb hit .252/.331/.290 with a homer, nine RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 20/11 K/BB ratio. It shouldn’t take him long to earn another chance at the big league level.

The unheralded 23-year-old rookie ran wild in the opening contest of Tuesday’s twin bill and is already up to 10 thefts this season in just 31 contests. He doesn’t offer enough over-the-fence pop to generate interest in shallow mixers, but the speed is going to make him a factor in deeper mixed leagues going forward, especially if he’s playing everyday for Washington.