The Washington Nationals are set to promote outfielder Dylan Crews, MLB’s No. 3 prospect, to make his debut on Monday night against the New York Yankees, according to a source who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday.
The source requested to remain anonymous because the move had not been publicly announced yet.
Crews, 22, was drafted second overall by Washington last summer, right after his LSU teammate Paul Skenes was picked first by Pittsburgh. He has quickly moved up through the minor leagues.
This season, Crews has a .272 batting average with 13 home runs and 68 RBIs in 99 games for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.
He will join 21-year-old James Wood in the Nationals’ young outfield. Wood made his debut on July 1 after being acquired in the 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego.
While not confirming the move to bring up Crews, Nationals manager Dave Martinez expressed hope that Crews will continue to show the same skills he displayed in college and the minors.
“He’s starting to hit the fastball a lot better. He’s taking his walks like he did in college. And he’s been playing unbelievable defense,” Martinez said.
The Nationals, who won the World Series in 2019, have not had a winning season since. General manager Mike Rizzo has traded key players from that championship team, including Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, and Juan Soto.
Entering Friday’s game, the Nationals had a record of 58-70. They remained active sellers at the trade deadline, trading outfielder Lane Thomas and reliever Hunter Harvey, and are focusing on developing young players for the rest of the season.
