Pair of Prospects Star in MLB Debuts, Lift Nationals to 9-5 Win

The Washington Nationals opened its two game series against the Atlanta Braves with another impressive feat courtesy of one of the newest faces in the lineup.

>Hours after officially being called by the team and with rosters expanding to 28 players beginning Tuesday, infielder Yohandy Morales joined left handed pitcher Jared Simpson as the newest prospects to have their contracts selected by the Nationals -- and both made the most of their first MLB appearances as Morales finished a triple shy from hitting for the cycle.

>After striking out in his first at bat, Morales made history after a home run opened the third inning, taking an 81 mph splitter 407 feet for not only his first career home run, but also his first career MLB hit. The feat made Morales just the eighth player in franchise history to hit a home run for his first career hit, including the second to do so over the last month. Yet it would be the first of more hits to come after Morales then opened the seventh inning with a double into center field, good enough to eventually make his way home to put the Nationals ahead, 7-2, later in the frame. His final at bat materialized into a single in the eighth inning that pushed Daylen Lile to second base, setting up Andres Chaparro with an RBI single for the game's final run.

>His 3-for-5 performance, including two runs, tied him with Andres Chaparro in 2024 for the most hits by a National in his Major League debut, adding to an encouraging start to his tenure with the team.

>The good news was Morales wasn't the only one after Simpson picked up his first career win in his first career MLB appearance after tossing three strikeouts across hitless three innings. Simpson becomes the first Nationals pitcher since 2014 and joins Aaron Barrett and Billy Bray as the only relievers to win their MLB debut in franchise history.

>The Nationals also produced the first set of teammates since 2005 who accomplished the feat of one recording the win and the other hitting a home run in their first career regular season games.

>Morales joined the Nationals' lineup on a tear this season after ranking top ten in the Nationals' farm system in several major offensive categories including runs, home runs, batting average and extra base hits. Simpson arrived with a 2.30 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 58.2 innings across both Double and Triple A in 2026 where the former eighth round pick in 2023 leads all left handed pitchers in Washington's farm system with 137 strikeouts.