Dylan

Crews

Crews’ home run gave the Nationals vital insurance in the moment, extending their lead to 3-1 before they broke it open in the late innings. It was a welcome sight too as his first home run in two weeks with just one other extra-base hit between them. He’s desperately trying to put together any level of consistent major league production and probably should find a way to do so given his pedigree, raw power, and bat-to-ball ability. Swing decisions remain a problem though as he’s walked just once in nearly three weeks of big league action.

Crews is back in right field and hitting sixth following a two-game absence after being hit in the hand by a pitch on the hand. In 43 plate appearances in May, he’s gone just 9-for-41, but he has a 41.1 percent hard-hit rate, 86 percent zone contact rate, and solid exit velocities. His production should come around soon.

Nationals skipper Blake Butera told reporters Crews was able to take batting practice and will likely be available off the bench with the expectation that he’ll return to the lineup for Tuesday’s contest. The 24-year-old former top prospect was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with hand soreness after being hit by a pitch earlier in the weekend. Crews has hit just .220 (9-for-41) with one homer, three RBI and one steal in 10 games since being brought back from Triple-A Rochester on May 19.

Crews was hit on the hand during Saturday’s game. It sounds like he tried to give it a go on Sunday but was still experiencing soreness so the Nationals opted to give him an extra day off. He’s considered day-to-day.

Crews put the Nationals on the board with a solo homer off Grant Holmes in the fourth inning. It was a 396-foot blast to left field for his first of the season. Crews is 4-for-20 at the plate with the one homer, two runs, and one steal through his first five games. There’s still plenty of doubt around his ability to hit at the major league level, but the 24-year-old outfielder still carries useful power and speed upside in all formats.

The positive news here is that X-rays came back negative after Young was hit by a pitch in the ribs during Monday’s series opener. The 26-year-old center fielder is presumably day-to-day moving forward. It’ll be former top prospect Dylan Crews patrolling center field in his return to the majors on Tuesday night.

The move is now official. Crews, the second-overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, returns to the majors after spending the first seven weeks of the season at Triple-A Rochester. The 24-year-old former top prospect showed some extremely encouraging signs recently, including improved swing decisions and an uptick in consistent hard contact, while hitting .291/.333/.527 with seven doubles, two homers and just 13 strikeouts in 14 games since May 1. The talent is certainly there for Crews to blossom into an impactful fantasy contributor, which makes him worthy of a speculative roster spot in all leagues.

Crews has made some noticeable strides from an approach standpoint at the Triple-A level recently, being a bit more selective, while also making consistent hard contact. The 24-year-old former top prospect is hitting .291/.333/.527 with seven doubles, two homers and just 13 strikeouts in 14 games since May 1. He’ll get another opportunity with the Nationals and certainly has the talent to make an impact for fantasy managers. A wait-and-see approach seems like the right move, but Crews is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.

An approach change has really turned things around for Crews lately, and he’s slashing .291/.333/.527 in May with two home runs, nine RBI, two steals, and a 13/4 K/BB ratio. Since the end of April, his hard-hit rate is over 50 percent, he’s chasing fewer pitches outside of the zone, and making much more contact in the zone. He’s still swinging and missing a decent amount, but he’s pulling the ball in the air often, so his whiff rate can be sustainable if he continues to hit the ball and look to get it into the air on the pull side. It might be time for the Nationals to give the 24-year-old another chance.

Crews is now riding a five-game hitting streak with hits in six of his last seven games, which has seen him go 9-for-28 (.321) with one home run, one double, two RBI, seven runs scored, and one steal. This year, Crews is slashing .284/.388/.418 with two home runs, 14 runs scored, and four steals in 80 plate appearances.