Washington Nationals Top Prospects Gets Second Chance in Arizona Fall League
The Washington Nationals know a lot about Cayden Wallace. It’s just most of that knowledge comes from before he arrived in their minor-league system this season.
Wallace was part of the return in the Hunter Harvey trade at the deadline. Washington was hoping to get a full half-season out of the Kansas City Royals prospect. But, oblique and rib injuries prevented it.
He was already dealing with those injuries when he arrived after the trade was made on July 14. Washington assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg and on Aug. 7, the Nationals moved him from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL. After a short rehab assignment he returned to Harrisburg on Sept. 3.
In 11 games in the Nationals’ system he finished with a slash line of .186/.222/.209/.431 with no home runs and three RBI.
So, the Arizona Fall League represents a needed opportunity for Wallace to get more work and prove to the Nationals organization that he’s ready for, potentially, a promotion to Triple-A.
Action in the AFL begins on Monday and continues into early November.
While the injuries limited him to 56 games, he did finish with a slash line of .256/.329/.354/.683 with three home runs and 23 RBI.
The slash line was similar to his slash line in 2023 with two Royals affiliates — .254/.331/.414/.745. But the power numbers are intriguing. He had 13 home runs and 74 RBI, along with 27 doubles and seven triples.
Wallace was the Royals’ second-round pick in 2022 out of Arkansas.
The 23-year-old is projected as a third baseman, but he has competition there. Washington’s No. 2 prospect is Brady House, a third baseman who is nearly Major League-ready.
Wallace isn’t the only Top 30 prospect headed to the AFL. The Nationals will also send their outfielder, Robert Hassell III (No. 13).
Hassell can show Wallace the ropes. He’s playing in the AFL for the third straight year. Another piece of the Juan Soto trade from 2022, he has seen his development stunted by hand and wrist injuries, which led to a slash line of .241/.319/.328/.647 with five home runs and 28 RBI.
He was a former first-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2020.
The other Nationals prospects headed to the AFL are left-handed pitchers Matt Cronin and Dustin Saenz, right-handed pitchers Michael Cuevas, Chase Solesky and Luke Young, along with catcher Maxwell Romero Jr.
Washington will play with the Salt River Rafters in Scottsdale, Ariz.. The Nationals prospects will play alongside prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees.
