The Nationals are running out of offense, and that’s why Trey Lipscomb is back in the conversation.
Washington managed only 20 runs over its nine-game road trip, a stretch that has left the club searching for any kind of spark. If the Nats don’t want to turn to Seaver King, Lipscomb stands out as another player who has earned a look.
That idea would have sounded a lot different when the 2024 season began. Lipscomb came into the year with real buzz after a strong minor league showing, and he was pushing Luis Garcia Jr. for the starting second base job in camp. He didn’t win the job out of spring training, but an injury opened the door and he was promoted quickly.
The first big league run went badly. Lipscomb hit just .200 with a .500 OPS in 61 games, then disappeared from the picture after that rough stretch. He posted only a .697 OPS in Triple-A last year, and the then-25-year-old was DFA’d and went unclaimed.
Even after returning to the Nationals system, Lipscomb wasn’t exactly a sure thing. Rochester manager Matt LeCroy said Lipscomb had suffered a setback, but the offseason work changed the story. Lipscomb focused on becoming twitchier and more athletic, and that effort has shown up in the bat speed and the way he’s driving the baseball.
The contact quality jump is hard to miss. Last season, Lipscomb’s average exit velocity sat at 86.2 MPH, his 90th percentile EV was 103.6 and his max EV was 109.7. This year, those marks have climbed to 89.9, 105.4 and 114.4.
That rise has brought real power with it. Lipscomb has 27 home runs in 110 games this season, which leads the Nationals system.
Before this year, he had 30 homers in 339 MILB games. At 26, he has added a completely new layer to his profile.
There is still a major concern, though. Lipscomb’s chase rate this year is 43.2%, a number that jumps off the page for all the wrong reasons. Even Luis Garcia Jr., who swings freely himself, is chasing only 38.4% of the time.
Maybe that flaw keeps Lipscomb from sticking in the majors. Maybe he ends up as another Quad-A bat.
But with the Nationals trying to sort out their infield and looking for answers down the stretch, this is the right time to find out. Jorbit Vivas and Nasim Nunez are known quantities.
Lipscomb, with his newfound power, deserves a chance too.
He may be the clearest example, but he’s not the only minor leaguer the Nationals have helped unlock this season. By count, the organization already has five minor leaguers with 20 or more homers, which says plenty about the power development happening in the system.
At the major league level, though, Washington feels stuck. With James Wood and CJ Abrams out, the club needs fresh energy for the final weeks. A hot, confident bat like Trey Lipscomb could help provide it.
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