Dylan

Crews

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.

It sounds like a precautionary decision since Young was in Washington’s original lineup heading into Saturday’s Independence Day matinee at Nationals Park. It’ll be Dylan Crews taking over in center field with José Tena entering the lineup at DH. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

The walks are notable as drawing free passes has been an issue for the former LSU star this season. However, he’s now up to five homers and five stolen bases in 38 big league games. Crews was optioned to the minors coming out of spring training, and while he has had some nice moments in the majors, he’s still looking to make his mark. He’s playing all over the outfield while mostly hitting 4-6 since the beginning of June.

It somehow appears that Young managed to avoid serious injury during a scary-looking collision with the left-center field wall during Saturday’s contest at Tropicana Field. The 26-year-old takes a seat with Dylan Crews patrolling center field in his place. He’s day-to-day with right side soreness heading into Monday’s series opener against the Phillies.

Crews knocked a base hit and scored a run in the second inning, then later gave the Nats an insurance run with a solo homer off Cam Booser in the ninth. It was the fifth home run of the season for Crews while hitting .198/.236/.366 with 13 runs scored and 15 RBI across 106 plate appearances.