WASHINGTON -- The Nationals faced injuries to two starting outfielders in the past three games, and they tapped into their Minor League depth to fill the voids.
Dylan Crews was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left oblique strain on Wednesday after he left Tuesday’s series opener against the Braves. He is awaiting further medical evaluation to determine the severity.
“You always want to go out there and play every day,” Crews said on Wednesday. “But I guess it could have been worse. We’ll just get into the training room and get it right, see if we can get on the field as soon as I can.”
Jacob Young is day to day after he crashed into the outfield wall and exited Saturday’s game in Baltimore early with a sore left shoulder. Nationals No. 11 prospect Robert Hassell III was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday for what will be his Major League debut.
Crews described his discomfort on Tuesday as “a little lower back, side, oblique tenderness,” and noted he had been experiencing it since last week.
But Crews had been having success in spite of it. After a slow start to the season at the plate, Crews is slugging .571 with two homers and six RBIs in his last seven games.
“It sucks,” Crews said. “Feeling good at the plate, feeling confident and then this ends up happening. But I think it’s important through this time to stay mentally sharp. Even watching these games, you still can learn a lot. I’m going to stay on the edge of the dugout and focus on every pitch as much as I can to stay locked in.”
On Tuesday, Crews belted a 404-foot, go-ahead solo homer in the second inning. In the fifth, he drew a five-pitch walk against Braves starter Spencer Strider. He appeared to wince after a check swing on the fourth pitch, describing the sensation as “it kind of grabbed a little bit.”
“We don’t know the severity of it yet until the doctor sees him this afternoon,” manager Dave Martinez said on Wednesday. “Hopefully, it’s nothing bad, it’s mild.”
Crews remained in the game to complete the frame, but he felt discomfort running to second base on a James Wood forceout. Crews expressed to the Nationals' staff he “didn’t feel great,” and he was replaced by Nasim Nuñez for the top of the sixth.
Like they did on Saturday following Young’s exit, the Nationals turned to Nuñez, a shortstop, to take over in center field for Crews. Two days after hitting the go-ahead single and making the game-ending catch against the Orioles, Nuñez delivered a snazzy defensive play.
In the seventh inning, Nuñez nabbed an Eli White line drive with a sliding catch, during which he lost his hat and landed on his back, before popping back up with a big smile on his face. This was only Nuñez’s second game at any level in center field.
“I say it all the time: You don’t know what your needs are going to be throughout the year, throughout a game,” Martinez said. “So I always tell these guys to do something different. With Nasim, because as fast as he is and how strong of an arm he has and how he’s just a good athlete, we always told him, 'Go get an outfield glove, go catch some balls in center field.'”
Young has not played since his exit on Saturday. He has been unable to complete his swing motion.
“I think he’ll be OK,” Martinez said of Young. “He said he’s way better today than he was yesterday [and] the day before. So we’ll give him a day and see how he feels.”
Hassell will be the latest member of the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster trade with the Padres to reach the Major Leagues with the Nationals. The 23-year-old lefty hitter slashed .288/.337/.405 with seven doubles, four home runs and nine stolen bases in 43 games this season with the Red Wings.
Healthy after dealing with injuries early in his pro career, Hassell had a standout Major League Spring Training (.951 OPS in 21 games). He was added to the Nats' 40-man roster in November. Hassell was the No. 8 overall pick by San Diego in the 2020 Draft.