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Jacob Young is off the table after agreeing to a contract extension, so now that league is after the Nationals’ younger outfielders. Crews is more likely than Lile to be traded, and it helps his value that there just aren’t many quality right-handed-hitting outfielders available in free agency. The Nationals can give James Wood and Lile time at DH, so they don’t need to move an outfielder, but they’re always on the lookout for more young pitching.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 24-year-old outfielder. Crews has really struggled during his time with the Nats this season, slashing .189/.230/.337 with four homers, 14 RBI and a pair of steals in 100 plate appearances. Jose Tena will function as the team’s designated hitter on Friday night and will bat third against Rays’ right-hander Griffin Jax.

Crews’ home run was his fourth of the year. He hit a three-run shot off Mason Black in the fifth inning. It’s Crews’ second home run in the last four games, but he’s still hitting just .195 with a .595 OPS since being recalled in the middle of May. He’s not worth rostering in most fantasy leagues at this point.

Crews has hit two homers this month, but that’s about all he’s done while getting regular playing time. He’s hitting .189/.241/.324 in 20 games so far. It should be noted that his expected batting average is .258, but those metrics are a little noisy in this small of a sample size. Given how poorly he’s done at the bigs so far in his career, a contending team probably wouldn’t wait this out. The Nationals might be willing to humor it for a while longer though.

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.