Nationals’ Brady House has a clear lane for the third base job. He has to take it.

Curtis Mead left an absence in the Nationals’ clubhouse and lineup.

Over his short tenure with Washington, Mead delivered on the talent that once made him a coveted top prospect, the culmination of a yearslong journey to find the right approach to hitting. Though the Nationals aided Mead in his development, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni quickly dispelled the notion that maximizing a talent as the team did with Mead was repeatable.

“What just happened with Curtis doesn’t happen often,” Toboni said Sunday. “It’s on us to identify the right opportunities to do that and then make sure that everyone that surrounds the player is locked in on what the plan is, and it takes the player being aligned as well.”

After trading Mead to Boston for left-hander Connelly Early, the Nationals recalled 2021 first-rounder Brady House. The 23-year-old immediately delivered, recording two doubles in Sunday’s 10-7 win, a promising impression for the former top prospect who hopes he stays on the major league team for good this time. In an earlier stint this season, House posted a .681 OPS in 163 at-bats.

Though Toboni was quick to point out that Mead’s breakout was singular to him, the team is using the same development process with House. Like Mead, House will largely see his opportunities come against lefties, but if he crushes lefties, then his role will likely expand.

For House, having that faith from the front office is a vote of confidence in his work at Triple-A. The organization wanted him to home in on a plan to succeed against right-handers, but it wanted House to find his confidence more than anything.

“It’s great, especially with the position that we’re in right now,” he said. “I’m happy to be back and just doing whatever I can, whether that’s hitting or fielding. Whatever I can do to put the team in the best situation and keep winning is great.”

House’s sentiments are similar to those of Dylan Crews when he returned to the majors after improving in Rochester. On defense, they wanted him to find that swagger.

Toboni said in May that House is at his best when he’s playing with an “I’m gonna go make all these plays and look great doing it” mentality. But in May House was in his head and it was evident in his fielding. He regressed from a plus-2 in outs above average (a range-based defensive metric) last season to minus-5 this season.

In many ways, it can be freeing for a top prospect to fail, rebuild and give the majors another try. When House returned Sunday, there weren’t massive expectations surrounding him. He’s not expected to carry the lineup. He’s not even expected to be a consistent contributor.

“It means a lot that I’m back up here and they believe in me,” House said. “I’m not gonna put any pressure on myself in any type of way, but I am gonna keep trying to do my thing and just trust myself.”

Trust is everything in a sport where failure is persistent. Baseball can break even the most strong-willed competitor. That dilemma plagued House earlier in the season. He often looked rushed in the field and at the plate, and bad plays lingered with him.

Crews, who took House’s roster spot in May, knows the importance of assuredness. He believes failing is the best way to build belief in baseball.

“I think the only way to have that confidence and move forward through things is to fail, and you have to fail a lot,” Crews said. “I feel like you fail a lot in this game, so you know you got to learn how to separate the failures from the successes and just learn how to keep moving forward and close those margins as much as you can.”

House rebuilt his confidence in the minors by playing consistently and getting more comfortable. It allowed him to play more freely. He can’t pinpoint why he was thinking too much on the field, but he noticed he wasn’t reacting fast enough.

“I definitely think that thinking less helps,” he said. “That’s why I’ve always said I enjoy fielding balls that you don’t have much time to think about, because you don’t have much time. It’s like all reactions, and I definitely think it’s easier that way.”

House will have to earn at-bats and produce. Jorbit Vivas started Monday and Tuesday against right-handers, but the Nationals’ coaching staff has shown it’s willing to expand a player’s role if he is excelling. But the Nationals are in the playoff race. While they’re cognizant of player development, winning is the main focus.

When House was in Rochester, the Red Wings were in the playoff race, so he got a taste of high-stakes baseball and doing the little things that contribute to winning, such as simply moving a runner over. He was also getting reps at first base Monday. However, it’s unclear if the team will use him much at that position.

The runway is clear for House to show the front office he should be a fixture in the organization.

“It’s an opportunity for other people to step up,” manager Blake Butera said of the Mead trade. “That’s the way we need to look at it.”