Jacob

Young

He’s batting eighth against the Pirates. Jacob Young, who has lost ground to Alex Call recently, is on the bench today.

Crews takes a seat for the second straight contest with Jacob Young and Alex Call drawing starts in center and right field, respectively. The 23-year-old top prospect is hitting .116 (5-for-43) with 17 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances through 12 games. It’s been a brutal start to the year from a fantasy standpoint, but it’s still extremely early. It’s possible the mental reset will help him start fresh and finally get going.

Call didn’t get an at-bat in the Nationals’ first four games, but he started three of the last four and went 4-for-8 with two RBI and two walks. Dylan Crews is good enough in center that it seems the Nationals have decided they can go with the hot hand here and take Young out of the lineup, with Call starting in right.

Garcia has taken a seat in both games that the Nationals have faced left-handed starters. He’ll take a break with Amed Rosario getting the start at second. Jacob Young is also getting a rest with Alex Call starting in right.

This is predicated on Hassell III continuing to hit as well in Triple-A as he has been this spring. The Nationals believe that Dylan Crews is a major league centerfielder, so Hassell III would move to a corner outfield spot and move Crews to center in that scenario. Young is an elite defensive outfielder, but he could shift to a fourth outfielder role if he can’t hit enough to warrant a full-time starting spot.

Young missed Friday and Saturday while dealing with the shoulder issue he picked up Thursday. The 25-year-old will look to make an impact against Shota Imanaga and the Cubs’ bullpen.

Young injured his shoulder sliding on a steal attempt in the second inning of Thursday night’s game against the Cubs. Young said his shoulder is sore, but there’s no structural damage. A stint on the injured list seems unlikely at this point.

Young was seen experiencing discomfort after he was caught stealing to end the top of the second inning. It’s unclear what the injury was exactly, but he was removed from the game. Joey Gallo came in to play right field with Dylan Crews taking Young’s spot in center.

Dylan Crews is starting in center for the first time. Young had started 32 games in a row for the Nationals, and he’s made an appearance in 80 straight games.

The stolen base was his 28th of the season and Young is now hitting 23-for-85 (.271) in 26 games since the All-Star break. He’s been a full-time starter in Washington since the trade deadline and given how much the Nationals like to run, he should maintain fantasy value if he can continue to get on base this often.