Dylan

Crews

No setback for Crews. He’s already missed 60 days, so the Nats are opening up his 40-man roster spot for Konnor Pilkington, delaying any difficult decisions about who to drop. Crews, coming back from an oblique strain, is expected to begin a rehab assignment before the end of the week.

The 23-year-old took ground balls, fly balls, played catch, hit off the tee, hit batting practice, and ran the bases over the weekend without issue. All signs seem to point to him beginning a rehab assignment as soon as this week and maybe returning to the Nationals’ lineup in mid-August.

Crews has been out of action since the middle of May with a left oblique strain, and it’s unlikely this will be a short rehab stint for the 23-year-old. Still, it’s a positive sign that one of the top young outfield talents in baseball is getting closer to a return. His numbers before the injury were less-than-desirable, but there’s enormous upside in Crews’ right-handed bat.

There isn’t an official return timetable from the Nationals. However, Crews appears to be progressing towards kicking off a minor league rehab assignment in the near future and figures to be ready to rejoin Washington’s lineup by the end of July. The 23-year-old top prospect hit the injured list back in mid-May with a left oblique strain.

Martinez called the progress “definitely encouraging” though he failed to give any sort of timeline on when the 23-year-old outfielder could be expected to return to action. Crews has been shelved since mid-May due to a left oblique strain.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Tuesday that Crews hasn’t been able to resume swinging a bat and is still building up strength in his side. Not great. It sounds like the 23-year-old former top prospect is still at least a few weeks away from making it back to Washington’s lineup after hitting the injured list back in mid-May with a left oblique strain. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate him back until late June given this latest development.

Crews underwent an MRI on Wednesday morning, and it revealed the strain. The severity of that injury hasn’t been disclosed yet, but it seems likely the 23-year-old top prospect will need more than a minimum stint on the injured list before he can return. In the meantime, Robert Hassell has been recalled from Triple-A to take Crews’ place on the active roster.

Crews told reporters after making an early exit from Tuesday’s game against Atlanta that he’ll undergo imaging for a left side issue in his lower back that he’s been playing through for the past week. The 23-year-old top prospect went deep for the second straight game when he took Atlanta ace Spencer Strider deep in the second inning — his seventh round-tripper of the season — before aggravating the lingering issue further on a checked swing in the fifth inning. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Wednesday’s game. It’s possible he’ll wind up requiring a trip to the injured list.

Crews was having a terrific game, taking Braves ace Spencer Strider deep for his seventh round-tripper of the season, before being lifted from the contest for a defensive replacement in the top of the sixth inning. The 23-year-old top prospect appeared to be in some discomfort following an awkward check swing before drawing a fifth-inning walk. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Young was in Tuesday’s initial lineup, but he’s going to get some extra time off after suffering a left shoulder injury over the weekend when he collided with the center-field wall at full-speed. It’ll be Dylan Crews taking over in left field for the second straight game.