The Washington Nationals are changing course again at third base, sending Brady House to the minors after his playing time was cut and turning to Curtis Mead against left-handed pitchers. Blake Butera said Mead will now be used at third base against left-handed starters, a move that gives Washington a new look on the left side of the infield.

The change matters because the Nationals had already been cycling through options at third before settling on Mead for this split. Mead, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on March 28 and called up two days later, was first described as a player who would be used mainly at first base against left-handed pitchers. This season, he has only seen four games of action, but the club now appears ready to lean on him much more often at third when the matchup calls for it.

Butera said Mead has been working extensively at third and shortstop, a sign the Nationals were preparing for this kind of adjustment even before House was optioned. He said Mead has been putting in a lot of work there because he likes working on his range and arm strength, and added that Mead has been over at third base a lot so far and feels comfortable there.

For Washington, the move fits a pattern that has defined much of this season: aggressive roster decisions, frequent option moves and pitching staff shuffles as the team searches for the right combination. House had been the Nationals’ starting third baseman before his playing time was reduced and he was sent to Triple-A, opening the door for a different alignment that now puts Mead in position to handle about 85 percent of the work against left-handed starters.

That leaves Mead in a very different place from the one the Nationals described when he first arrived. The original plan pointed to first base, but the present one is far more specific and far more demanding. Washington has not settled its third-base picture yet, but it has made clear that Mead is the latest answer it wants to try.

And with House out of the picture for now, the next test is not whether Mead can fill in. It is whether he can hold the spot long enough to make the Nationals stop searching.