Tuesday, July 22

Welcome to the latest edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato.

SEATTLE -- This time last week, outfielders Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile were Triple-A teammates with the Rochester Red Wings.

On Tuesday, they were 3,000 miles away in Seattle playing in their first Major League road trip. 

Hassell (Nationals’ No. 11 prospect) and Lile (No. 9) were called up two days apart after Dylan Crews and Jacob Young were placed on the injured list.

Suddenly, Hassell and Lile find themselves as two rookies on a youth-driven Nationals team. The bond they formed in Washington’s Minor League system has created a built-in support system as they navigate the big leagues. 

What has it been like going through this process together?

Hassell: I think having him with me, it helps. He's really good at picking other people's brains. He's been asking me questions, which makes me start thinking about [those] things also. So I definitely think having him here, we feed off each other.

Lile: It's been awesome. I feel more comfortable, more relaxed up here. Especially us playing in [Single-A] Fredericksburg together for a little bit while I was doing a rehab assignment, and throughout the levels, going up together. Like he said, [I like] picking his brain because I feel like we’ve got a lot of similarities in our game, offensively and defensively. So it's been nice having him throughout the levels.

What do you think is the most interesting thing Daylen has asked you?

Hassell: It’ll be random baseball, hitter-ish things. That’s how I know he knows a lot about hitting, because he'll ask stuff that not everybody would even think about. I can’t really pinpoint one, but he’s definitely asked questions that made me think, I need to start thinking about that more, too.

• Hassell scores walk-off run in MLB debut to remember

What makes Robert someone you like to seek out for information?

Lile: Everything that he has said to me makes a lot of sense. The way that we talk about things, the way he breaks it down is very easy for me to understand because it's a visual kind of thing that we do. He’ll stand up here with a bat and he'll show me what he's feeling to help me feel a certain thing. 

How does it help joining the Major Leagues on a young team?

Hassell: “I think everybody throughout their time in the Minor Leagues is like, ‘Oh, the big leagues, the big leagues, the big leagues.’ It’s the real deal. Even being here for a few days, you can see it's the real deal. These guys are getting paid a lot of money to make sure we don't get hits. But I think having young guys here, just because you might have some doubt sometimes … having young guys here, it's like, ‘OK, we can all do this together.’ You don't have to be a seasoned, eight-year guy to get the job done. I feel like they've definitely prepared us for this moment to have a young team.

Lile: Obviously having older guys, it helps out a lot. Especially during Spring Training, having Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell, guys who've been here for a long time. But just having young guys here – like James [Wood], who was here last year, picking his brain about certain things, and Nasim [Nuñez] as well, even guys from different organizations who are up here now living the same dream that we're living, just picking their brains, it helps out a lot.

MLB.com: I’ll start chronologically – Daylen, what was your reaction when you heard Robert was being called up to the Major Leagues?

Lile: Oh I was happy. I was very happy for him because Robert works hard. Seeing what he's gone through, injury-wise, and then seeing him become the player he is now, I couldn't be more happy for a guy.

• Lile needs just 1 pitch to record 1st career hit in MLB debut

MLB.com: Not even 24 hours after your debut, what was your reaction when Daylen got called up?

Hassell: I think I was still trying to come back down to earth at that time. But when I saw that, I'm like, “No way! No way!” Then when I had called him, he was already in D.C. I was pumped, and I saw him two hours later. But it was awesome because we were just in Syracuse not even thinking about the big leagues. 

Adam LaRoche, Daniel Murphy and Wilson Ramos will be at Nationals Park on Sunday, June 15, as part of the Nationals’ 20th anniversary celebration. The trio will participate in a pregame autograph session (vouchers to be distributed at Section 103 when gates open) and a live Q&A that is open to all fans. 

That afternoon, all fans in attendance 21 and older will receive a NATS20 Hawaiian Shirt.

Rochester third baseman Brady House (Nationals' No. 3 prospect, MLB No. 95) crushed a 458-foot home run with a 112.4 mph exit velocity on Sunday, demolishing his ninth dinger of the season. In his past three games, House went 7-for-13 (.538) with a pair of doubles, one homer, two RBIs and four runs scored. 

June 4: Branch Appreciation Day -- U.S. Marine Corps

June 5: Night OUT

June 6: Nats Postgame Summer Concert Series -- Natasha Bedingfield

June 7: Player Designed Series -- CJ Abrams T-shirt; University of Virginia Day

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