As the Washington Nationals wait to resume their frustrating 2025 season on Friday night against the San Diego Padres at home in DC, the team will remain without one of their young building blocks. Although young guys like James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, and even Brady House have shown that they are worth keeping around for the long haul, there has been one name that has been out of action for a long time.
That name would be Dylan Crews, who has been out since May with an oblique injury he suffered on a check swing. The former #2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft came into the 2025 season with hopes of winning the National League Rookie of the Year award, but seems to have had those hopes dashed with his injury that has now kept him out for almost 2 months.
As of now, the most recent update we have on Crews, courtesy of Bobby Blanco, is that he took live batting practice on the field for the second straight day back on July 12th, and also participated in fielding drills with the outfielders. This is a big development, as the team is hoping to get Crews back in the lineup as soon as possible so that 2025 does not turn into a lost season for the youngster.
The 2025 season has been a frustrating one for the 23-year-old outfielder, as before his injury, Crews had accumulated a .196/.266/.354 slash line to go with a .620 OPS, with 7 homers, 15 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases as well. Despite the subpar slash line, Crews was heating up before his injury, as he had gone 6/21 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs in his last 7 games before that fateful check swing.
It is also important to note that he had drawn 4 walks compared to 7 strikeouts over those games, and you could tell he was really beginning to see the ball a lot better than he was earlier in the season. Crews got off to a rough start to begin the year, as he didn't notch his first knock until his 6th game, and even had an ugly 5-strikeout game mixed in there as well.
Crews has all the talent in the world, and was going through a lot of normal struggles for a guy who was likely rushed a little bit sooner to the big leagues than he was prepared to handle. For a player with as much talent as he possesses, getting him back on the field to salvage his overall season will be crucial for his development.
In his absence, the team has played a combination of Wood, Jacob Young, Daylen Lile, Alex Call, and even Robert Hassell III to fill the void he left in the team's lineup. Upon Crews' return, the team will have a decision to make on who gets sent down, traded, or sent to the bench between Young, Lile, and Call, but the team still has time before making that decision.
Given that Crews has now missed almost 2 months, as his last game was on May 20th, he will likely require a rehab assignment once he gains full strength in his oblique again, and could potentially rejoin the team either at the end of July or beginning of August. Hopefully Crews can recapture the form he had right as he got injured, and can make a late case for NL Rookie of the Year, as nobody else in the field has really separated themself yet.
Who should cede playing time to Dylan Crews once he returns from injury? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.