The Washington Nationals have been a lot of fun to watch over the last couple of weeks. Despite losing star rookie outfielder Dylan Crews and defensive wizard Jacob Young to injuries, their outfield has provided a ton of excitement for the club over their hot streak that has seen the team win 10 of 14 games.
With the promotions of Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile, the Nationals outfield has been one of the bright spots for the team, as the two prospects have provided stability next to James Wood, and have made some incredible plays on both sides of the ball. But with the Nationals' injured outfielders nearing returns, how will the club configure their outfield once everyone is back in the picture?
It's a really great problem to have, in that the Nationals have too many capable outfield options to choose from. Gone are the days of having to watch guys like Yadiel Hernandez, Blake Rutherford, or Travis Blankenhorn patrol the outfield. However, the Nationals clearly have a logjam, but how can they solve it?
The 2 non-negotiables in terms of their inclusion would be James Wood and Dylan Crews. Wood, who is turning into a superstar and MVP-caliber player this season, is a lock to stay in left field. He has gotten better defensively, and obviously he will be playing every single day as long as he remains healthy.
Crews has had his struggles, but seemed like he was turning a corner before his oblique injury landed him on the 10-day IL. His glove plays fantastically in both right and center field, with center being his natural position. The Nationals have shown a willingness to move him around between both positions, in large part due to the presence of this next player.
That next guy would be Jacob Young, who has the least offensive potential by far out of the entire crop of outfielders on the roster. His glove in center field is great, but as a guy who is nothing more than a slap hitter that hasn't been great at running the bases this year despite his great speed, his value truly isn't that high.
Alex Call is a steady 4th outfielder who is probably the worst defensively out of everyone, but is also the elder statesman of the group. His plate approach and on-base skills are very valuable as a bench bat, and there's a chance he could even be a trade chip for a contending team.
Finally, you have the kids, Daylen Lile and Robert Hassell III. Both of them have impressed both offensively and defensively, and have certainly flashed some of their potential in their short time as professionals so far. Hassell III has looked better at the plate so far, with a homer and 6 RBIs to go along with a .268 average, while Lile has 2 RBIs and a .214 average in his short sample size.
Daylen Lile reaches up and robs it! 👏 pic.twitter.com/WPxNaBJKLY
— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2025
To me, there seems to be a pretty obvious solution, in that Lile, who had taken just 82 plate appearances since being promoted to AAA Rochester, will likely be sent down first whenever the first of the two injured outfielders come back. It's not a knock on him at all, but he could use a little bit more seasoning in the minors before getting his next call-up.
But then that leaves you with 5 outfielders: Wood, Crews, Hassell III, Young, and Call. This doesn't seem to be an ideal alignment for the Nationals, who would likely prefer to have backup infielders like Amed Rosario and Nasim Nuñez as opposed to carrying an extra outfielder.
I would send Young down, although I fear that Davey Martinez and Mike Rizzo's infatuation and insistence that he is a legitimate weapon at the bottom of the order could possibly have them option Hassell III instead. Consider that Jacob Young has multiple promotional bobblehead days as well coming up this summer to see just how highly the organization thinks of him.
Will the Nationals actually prioritize putting the best group of outfielders out there? If so, then your starting outfield from left to right should be Wood-Crews-Hassell III, with Call as the 4th outfielder. The drop-off from Young to Crews in center field is not that drastic, and you keep the best 4 hitting options on the big league roster. Young has options remaining, and perhaps you can even work out a trade for him, although his value to organizations that aren't the Nationals might not be as high considering his struggles.
Robert Hassell III hits his first Big League bomb 💣 pic.twitter.com/phvCJ2t8A0
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2025
In closing, the Nationals will have a very difficult roster crunch to figure out how to manage once everyone is healthy, but for the sake of the team, I really hope they do the right thing and give Robert Hassell III his chance that he has clearly earned in his short time in the big leagues.
How do you think the Nationals should configure their outfield? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.