Dylan

Crews

It is better late than never for Crews to fill the stat sheet. He was in the middle of Nationals’ rallies in both the first and third innings and gave them a valuable insurance run in the seventh with a solo home run. He’s quietly closed his season with a .261/.312/.426 slash line and five stolen bases over his last 30 games. That will put him back in consideration for sleeper lists ahead of 2027 drafts.

Crews singled in the top half of the first inning and came around to score on a throwing error. He then crushed a 379-foot two-run blast off of Kyle Leahy in the third inning that increased the Nationals’ advantage to 5-0. For the season, the 24-year-old outfielder is now hitting .225/.291/.377 with 12 long balls, 42 RBI and nine swipes in 409 plate appearances.

Nationals skipper Blake Butera is rolling with a righty-heavy approach against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez with Wood and Abrams representing the most prominent names to take a seat. It appears to be a matchup-based decision and not anything from a physical standpoint. Wood has picked up right where he left off prior to last month’s oblique strain, hitting .297 (11-for37) with two RBI and four steals in 10 games since returning from the injured list on September 2. It’ll be Dylan Crews in right field with speedster Nasim Nuñez at shortstop.

It’s nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 24-year-old outfielder. James Wood will shift to right field with Andres Chaparro drawing a start as the Nats’ designated hitter. He’ll bat third against Angels’ inconsistent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez.

Crews was responsible for nearly half of Washington’s five hits during a low-scoring series opener out in San Diego. The 24-year-old former top prospect took lefty reliever Kyle Hart deep in the sixth inning for his 11th big fly of the season. He also singled against Padres elite closer Mason Miller to put the potential game-tying run on-base in the final frame. He hasn’t offered much from a batting average standpoint, but Crews continues to show a little bit of the power/speed combo skillset that made him such a coveted fantasy prospect just a few years ago.

Crews singled on a soft grounder in the third inning, bringing two runners home after a throwing error to first base. He’d come around to score in the inning before coming through for the Nationals in extras. With two runners on and the game tied in the tenth, he knocked a base hit to walk it off. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .223/.292/.368 with 10 homers, 44 runs scored, 34 RBI, and eight steals across 349 plate appearances.

Crews opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI double off of Kevin Gausman in the fourth inning that plated Abimelec Ortiz. He also singled with two outs in the fifth inning, swiped second base and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Daylen Lile. With his two-hit attack, the 24-year-old outfielder is now hitting .218/.290/.372 with 10 homers, 27 RBI and eight stolen bases in his first 293 plate appearances with the Nationals on the season.

Crews blasted a two-run homer in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2. It was the eighth homer of the season for Crews, who has now homered three times in the month while driving in six runs. Crews has hit safely in three of his last four games and has had multi-hit nights in his last two games, but he’s still slashing an underwhelming .204/.358/.389 on the month.

Crews also drew a walk and scored a second run. The homer is the seventh for the former second-overall pick, and it improves his slash to .210/.279/.355 over 50 games and 186 at-bats. Crews can’t be trusted in redraft leagues, but there have been just enough good moments to suggest he can be a fantasy regular in the coming campaigns.

Crews takes a seat with righty Tatsuya Imai taking the ball for Houston in this one. The 24-year-old former second-overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft has shown some real signs of life recently, hitting .228 (26-for-114) with five homers, 15 RBI and four steals over his last 30 games.