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Seaver King Making Strong Case for Late-Season Call-Up
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- Seaver King Making Strong Case for Late-Season Call-Up
The Washington Nationals are in free fall.
Following their 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday, in which they were walked off, Washington has now lost eight of its last 10 games and 17 of their last 24 overall.
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Entering Saturday, the Nationals (61-69) sit a distant 8.5 games out of the final National League wild-card spot.
With their postseason chances rapidly fading, it might be time for Washington to give one of its top prospects, shortstop Seaver King, an MLB audition.
King, 23, is MLB Pipeline 's No. 71 overall prospect and the Nationals' No. 4 prospect. He began 2026 with Double-A Harrisburg, but was promoted to Triple-A Rochester on May 18 after hitting .336 with a .989 OPS, five home runs, and 27 RBI in 35 games.
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However, a left oblique strain forced King to miss nearly a month of action and put a pause on his rise through Washington's farm system. But since being activated from the Triple-A 7-day injured list on July 30, King has been scorching hot at the plate.
Through 16 games in August, King is slashing .394/.494/.788 with eight home runs and 15 RBI. He has recorded a hit in all but two games this month and is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak. King's power has reached a new level lately, as he clubbed home runs in four straight games before Friday, including two on Thursday.
On the season, King is slashing .320/.398/.567 with 13 home runs, 41 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 51 games with Triple-A Rochester.
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Those numbers are impossible to ignore. Furthermore, new shortstop Nasim Nuñez's offensive numbers only strengthen the argument for calling up King.
In 119 games this season, Nuñez is hitting just .225 with a .568 OPS, one home run, 34 RBI, and 42 stolen bases.
His August has been brutal, as he has posted a .136 batting average and .351 OPS over 59 at-bats. Injuries to stars James Wood and CJ Abrams , along with the departures of Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. at the MLB trade deadline, have magnified Nuñez's offensive woes.
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With Abrams gradually moving to second base, the door is slowly opening for King to get his opportunity to prove himself as Washington's shortstop of the future.
However, the Nationals also have Eli Willits, whom they selected with the first overall pick in last summer's MLB Draft. He has already risen to MLB Pipeline 's No. 4 overall prospect and is currently with High-A Wilmington.
Willits is slashing .225/.411/.416 with seven home runs, 28 RBI, and 25 stolen bases over 52 games there. The shortstop has also shown incredible plate discipline, drawing 51 walks compared to striking out just 41 times.
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Nonetheless, King is closer to the major leagues than Willits is. And if King keeps tearing it up at Triple-A, it will become even harder to justify not calling him up before the 2026 season concludes.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
