Nationals optioned 3B Brady House to Triple-A Rochester.

This is pretty stunning, given that House wasn't just playing regularly but was also hitting third pretty much of all of the time. He was batting .227/.282/.399 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 177 plate appearances, with just a little more plate discipline than last year. Statcast also thought he was kind of unlucky, giving him a .249 xBA and a .427 xSLG coming into Monday's game. Unlike with Dylan Crews, who is expected to replace him on the roster, there doesn't seem like any real financial incentive for the demotion. House is just turning 23 in June, and if he gets a bit more selective at the plate, he'll probably spend several years as an adequate regular. There's some reason to doubt it, though. The Nationals figure to go with Jose Tena, Jorbit Vivas and maybe some Curtis Mead at third base. That helps open up time for Crews, who will play a lot of outfield with James Wood and Daylen Lile probably seeing more time at DH.