The Washington Nationals had their expected starting lineup for two games last season. The injuries are beginning once again.
Washington Nationals outfielder Ben Revere was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a right oblique strain, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, and the team called up outfielder Matt den Dekker to take Revere’s roster spot.
The injury occurred during Revere’s first at-bat of the season on Monday against the Atlanta Braves. Revere struck out in his first at-bat and felt pain heading into the dugout, but decided to stay in the game until he had a hard time breathing during his next two at-bats. While playing in the outfield, Revere said he felt pain while attempting to rob a home run from Freddie Freeman in the first inning.
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Nationals manager Dusty Baker and his staff didn’t think the injury was serious at first, but after Revere said he had lingering soreness on Wednesday, the team decided to make the move.
"“We didn’t think we could go short for a long period of time. Instead of letting it linger, we’ll take care of it right now early,” Baker said."
Revere’s injury opens the door for young center fielder Michael Taylor to establish himself as the team’s starter for the foreseeable future. Taylor dominated in spring training, as he hit .453 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. Despite the offseason addition of Revere, who hit .306/.342/.377 with the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays last season, the team took a serious look at Taylor over the offseason and throughout spring training.
Taylor entered last season as the team’s number two prospect, but failed to live up to expectations after 138 games in which he hit .229 with a paltry .282 OBP – although he did manage to hit 14 home runs.
Baker will likely place Taylor in the leadoff spot, as his speed-power combination could be a game-changer for the Nats lineup. Taylor will need to get on base much more consistently this season, but once he is, he has the speed to be dynamic on the base paths.
In the meantime, den Dekker will come off the bench after impressing Baker throughout spring training with a .300 average and nine runs scored.
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If Revere’s injury doesn’t prove to be serious and he returns in a short amount of time, the Nationals could have a serious decision to make regarding their starting center fielder. With the aging Jayson Werth in left field, however, it’s unlikely the Nationals would trade either Revere or Taylor.