Nationals middle player Victor Robles he has only played four games this season due to a pulled muscle in early April, and the manager Dave Martinez told reporters (per MLB.com's Injury Tracker) on Friday that he's “running pretty good” in his rehab, indicating he's still on track to return sometime this month.
Most notably, Martinez revealed that Robles will not be able to return to his first job on the field when he returns. A 24-year-old child Jacob Young made a strong impression as usual in Robles' absence, with a .311/.354/.378 slash line in 81 trips to the plate. That production is good for a 113 wRC+, and Young also went 12-for-13 on the base paths. That kind of offensive production would be hard for the club to part with, but it's surprising that the Nationals don't plan to bring back Robles, a consensus top-5 player in the league who has been at the position for eight seasons. his usual place in the list.
With Young seemingly taking over as a long-term center fielder, Martinez noted that Robles will still play center occasionally but “can also play right field.” The club is counting on it Eddie Rosario again Alex Call in right field as of late, the veteran Rosario has struggled badly posting a -10 wRC+ so far this season which shows he has been 110% worse than league average at the plate. Kohli has impressed with five hits and three walks in 21 trips to the plate this season, but that production has come in just seven games at the big league level.
More from the NL East…
- I Phillies got a big injury scare last night when he was third baseman Alec Bohm out against the Giants with a strained right hip. This step was written as a security measure by manager Rob Thomson (as noted by Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer) after yesterday's game and Bohm showed the reporters (including Coffey) that he is not interested in this matter. That Bohm doesn't appear to need a trip to the injured list is a big relief for Phillies fans, given the club's loss. Trea Turner on the shelf yesterday and was the second hitter behind Bohm this year. MLBTR's Darragh McDonald recently took a look at Bohm's hot start this season, where he hit .364/.435/.579 in 138 trips to the plate.
- The brave ones backstop Sean Murphy has been ramping up baseball activities as he rehabs a hamstring injury that kept him out of the season opener back in March. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Murphy has been improving his pitching behind the plate and catching a few bullpen innings but has now improved his swing, starting with a hit to the tee during the club's trip to Seattle last week. Murphy's return will be a big boost for Atlanta, as the 29-year-old has emerged as one of the best catchers in the sport in recent seasons. Said the veteran Travis d'Arnaud he has excelled in Murphy's absence, slashing an impressive .269/.341/.564 with five home runs in just 88 outings this season.
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