Young's 'beautiful bunt' in return keeps things moving in Nats' OF

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals’ outfield has seen several different looks in the past three weeks amid two injuries and two Major League callups.

Starting center fielder Jacob Young returned from the injured list prior to Friday night’s series opener against the Rangers, fully recovered from a left shoulder AC sprain he sustained on May 17. He crashed into the outfield wall in Baltimore chasing down a deep fly ball.

“I wanted to make sure I could swing pain-free and that I could do it continuously,” Young said before Washington’s 2-0 win over Texas at Nationals Park.

Young, 25, completed a three-game rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg this week and checked the necessary boxes. He went 3-for-11 with one double, one RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base with the Senators.

“It was a buildup,” Young said. “I think that first day, I hadn't played in two weeks, so everything was kind of trying to figure out what it wanted to do. Then, I woke up the next day and I was like, ‘Wow, I feel great.’ I think kind of just getting everything moving again really helped. And then those last two games, it's kind of just getting the actual swing back and timing back.”

Young went 1-for-3 with a bunt single in his first at-bat of his return.

“It was a beautiful bunt. He played good defense,” manager Dave Martinez said. “ ... We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. I haven’t decided whether I just give him a day [off], because he’s played four, five games in a row already. But he looked good out there.”

As a 2024 Gold Glove Award finalist, playing fearlessly in the outfield is one of Young’s attributes. He considers himself “full-go” in all aspects of the game, but Young noted moving around and knowing each park is key.

“I told him, ‘If you’ve got to catch a ball, hit the wall, catch the ball, right?’” Martinez said. “I mean, that's how you play the game. If you're afraid to get hurt, you're probably going to get hurt. Once he's out there, he's got to get after it. He knows nothing else. Do I want him to get hurt? Absolutely not. But he’ll play the game the right way.”

The Nats maneuvered the outfield puzzle pieces around in Young’s return to center field. No. 11 prospect Robert Hassell III, who was called up for his debut when Dylan Crews was sidelined by a left oblique strain on May 21, shifted from center field to right field. With that move, Daylen Lile, who debuted in right field when Young was placed on the IL on May 23 (retroactive to May 20), was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester.

Lile, 22, batted .194 with three doubles, one triple, two RBIs, two walks and four runs scored in his first 11 Major League games.

“I talked to him today and I told him, ‘Hey, regardless of what your average says, I thought he handled himself really well,’” Martinez said of the Nationals’ No. 9 prospect. “... He was in every at-bat. He played the game the right way. His defense was a lot better than when I saw him the previous time. … I said, ‘Hey, you're going to be back up here. There's no doubt. Just go down there and continue to knock the door down, continue to get better.’ He did really well. I really liked everything you did up here.”

With James Wood, Young and Hassell in the outfield on Friday, fourth outfielder Alex Call was tabbed to start as the designated hitter for the first time in his career. He hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning off former Nats southpaw Patrick Corbin.

“I actually liked it,” Call said. “I got to take a few swings during the game and didn’t over-swing. I just wanted to stay nice and loose, but with the humidity and the heat -- I’m a sweater by nature -- I was able to keep the sweat flowing for most of the game even though I wasn’t in [the game] on defense. I just had a good routine, was able to continue to lock things in down there and be ready for my time.”