Washington Nationals News: When can we expect to see Trea Turner in the bigs?
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily features stories on when the Washington Nationals might call up prospect Trea Turner and the offensive struggles of Ben Revere and Anthony Rendon.
Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s James Wagner discusses when we might expect to see the Nationals call up top position prospect Trea Turner. As Wagner writes, Danny Espinosa has struggled at the plate this season, prompting some fans to wonder when they might get to see the team’s shortstop of the future in a big league uniform.
Turner has been tearing it up with Triple-A Syracuse this season, batting .319 with 17 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. But, as Wagner writes in his article, there are several factors that could delay Turner’s inevitable promotion.
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One of the biggest factors at play is Turner’s playing time. The Nationals would secure an additional year of team control over Turner if they wait until early-June to call him up. So, while Turner might be ready to help the team win now, keeping him at Triple-A a while longer could delay free agency for a player who could eventually become one of the team’s most important members.
Also in today’s Daily, Federal Baseball’s Patrick Reddington discusses Ben Revere and Anthony Rendon’s struggles at the plate this season.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
The Trea Turner question, service time and Danny Espinosa
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
Even though the Nationals are 23-15 and in first place in the National League East six weeks into the season, some fans still wonder: When is Trea Turner coming up? The fact that Danny Espinosa is hitting .212 with a .630 OPS only fuels the question. Turner is the Nationals’ top position player prospect and their potential shortstop of the future who is hitting .319 with 14 stolen bases and a .844 OPS at Class AAA Syracuse. It is the backup quarterback syndrome: Fan bases always dream of the next option.
Turner’s case involves various factors, and one consideration is the service time clock. The Nationals are in the win-now mode of their team history, so if they were a Trea Turner away from being a winning team, it’s easy to imagine General Manager Mike Rizzo calling for the speedy prospect now. But with Espinosa’s stellar glove and struggling bat, the Nationals are winning now. Read full article here.
Dusty Baker on Nationals waiting for Anthony Rendon and Ben Revere to get up to speed…
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
His 1 for 4 game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday left Anthony Rendon with a .227/.314/.313 line on the year after 38 games and 169 plate appearances.
Late in Sunday’s series finale with the Fish, Washington Nationals’ skipper Dusty Baker put Daniel Murphy, who’d been a late scratch with an “illness”, in to hit for Rendon against A.J. Ramos, prompting questions in Baker’s post game interview about the decision.
“Rendon hadn’t been really driving the ball yet,” Baker explained, “and in that situation I was hoping that — that guy Ramos, I mean, he’s tough, I think right-handers are hitting .138 on the year and left-handers are hitting .148, so I went with [Murphy] there.” Read full article here.