The Washington Nationals broke out of a rut in a huge way this weekend. Following yet another losing streak in which the team looked pretty uncompetitive overall, the Nationals again found success on the West Coast, taking 2 of 3 games from the San Francisco Giants. Hopefully for the Nationals, many of their star players found something, as James Wood homered for the first time in over a month, and MacKenzie Gore threw an absolute gem on Sunday.
However, it was not all pretty out in the Bay Area, as the team has still not quite figured out it's impending outfield logjam. Given that the team already has 4 outfielders on the big league roster in Wood, Daylen Lile, Robert Hassell III, and Jacob Young, someone is going to have to draw the short end of the stick with the impending return of Dylan Crews from the Injured List. Just imagine how hard of a decision this would have been if Alex Call hadn't been traded at the deadline, too.
Crews, the former top prospect in the organization, has been sidelined since May, but has been on a rehab assignment with AAA Rochester for about 2 weeks now, and has fared pretty well. He should be back before this upcoming weekend at the latest, so who will lose out on playing time?
The answer is not quite simple, as Crews must play every day in order to get as many at-bats as possible, and to hopefully end the 2025 season on a high note. Wood obviously will hold down one of the outfield spots as well, so who should take the final spot? That's where it gets tricky.
Young is the best defensive outfielder on the team, and one of the best in the league, but .563 OPS and the fact that he's only stolen 12 bases in 22 attempts has left a ton to be desired. Offensively, he is basically a zero at this point, and in my opinion, he should be the one to lose playing time, or even be optioned down to Rochester, as we know what he is at this point.
Lile and Hassell III have both flashed a lot more potential from an offensive standpoint, with Hassell III looking like a brand new hitter since being recalled from Rochester a couple weeks ago. Lile is by far the worst defensively, but has shown a very solid approach at the plate thus far. If the team does not want to send any of their young outfielders down to the minors, perhaps there is a solution budding.
I say this because it was reported over the weekend that Riley Adams and Paul DeJong were taking reps at first base, which could potentially spell the end for either Josh Bell or Nathaniel Lowe in a Nationals uniform once Crews returns. Neither of them figure to be in the long-term plans of the organization, and the team would be wise to let them try to latch on with a contending team to help for a potential postseason chase.
However, my gut tells me that it will be Lile who gets sent down to Rochester to continue to get everyday at-bats and work on improving his defense, as Young appears to have an infinite leash with this club due to his defense. Personally, I would love to see Young demoted and the Nationals go with a rotation of their other 4 outfielders, Wood, Hassell III, Crews, and Lile, in the field and taking days to DH as well. This way, you can give needed everyday reps to young guys who might actually factor in to the club's long-term plans.
Who should go in order to make room for Dylan Crews? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.