Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (hand) continues to sit in Monday's series opener against the visiting division-rival New York Mets. Young was forced to leave Saturday's game early against the Cleveland Guardians due to swelling in his right hand and he did not play on Sunday, so Monday will be his second straight missed game. The 24-year-old is currently considered day-to-day and could return as soon as Tuesday's game against the Mets. Young has been a regular for the Nats in center field in just his second year in the big leagues. Although he has yet to homer in 81 games in the majors, he's stolen 30 bases in 284 plate appearances dating back to last year and is useful in most fantasy formats for his speed when he's in the lineup. With Young out again, both Jesse Winker and Eddie Rosario are manning the corners in the outfield for Washington on Monday.
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (hand) is not in Sunday's starting lineup against the hosting Cleveland Guardians. Young is out of the lineup for the series finale in Cleveland after he was forced to leave Saturday's game early due to swelling in his right hand. For now, fantasy managers should consider the speedy 24-year-old outfielder to be day-to-day and check back to see if he's available to play in Monday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets. In his first full big-league season, Young has made himself useful in all fantasy leagues, although he still doesn't have a home run since debuting in 2023. In 48 games in 2024, he's hit .267 (39-for-146) with seven doubles, 14 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 25 runs scored. Jesse Winker is in left field and batting cleanup, while Eddie Rosario is in right field and hitting seventh on Sunday against Guardians right-hander Carlos Carrasco.
Jacob Young Removed Early From Saturday's Game With Undisclosed Injury
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young was removed during the 7th inning of the Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The team has not specified why Young was removed from the game but more should be released later. The 24-year-old was visited by team trainer Paul Lessard in the 7th and was replaced by Joey Gallo shortly after. Young dealt with back spasms earlier this season, causing him to miss one game, and was struck by a pitch in the head against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday though he missed no time from that incident. More should be revealed about why Young exited in the coming hours. If he is to miss any significant time, expect Victor Robles to pick up the slack in the outfield.
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Victor Robles will take over for the Nationals in center field and will hit ninth against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. Young had started in eight of the team's last nine games, with six of them coming out of the leadoff spot. The 24-year-old has held his own with a .257 average (54-for-210) in his first 67 major-league games, dating back to his debut in 2023, but he's still searching for his first home run while driving in 20 and stealing 27 bases. The former seventh-round pick in 2021 out of Florida should continue to be valuable for his speed in all fantasy formats, especially if he continues to hit atop the order. Robles has very little DFS upside at the bottom of the order in a tough matchup on Friday.
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (back) is back in center field and is hitting in the leadoff spot for the Nats on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Alek Manoah, who is making his season debut in the big leagues. Young left Friday night's series opener against Toronto due to back spasms and was held out of Saturday's contest, but he's back in there and ready to go for Sunday's game. The 24-year-old has just two hits in 10 at-bats in his last four games played, but overall he's been dynamic in 25 games in just his second big-league season, slashing .311/.354/.378 with five doubles, no home runs, seven RBI, 12 stolen bases and 17 runs scored in 81 plate appearances. He has yet to homer in his first 58 MLB games, but his 25 steals have played well for fantasy managers. Get Young back into your lineups for the series finale.
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (back) left Friday's game early against the Toronto Blue Jays with back spasms. He's getting treatment, and the team will see how he's doing on Saturday. Young was hitting leadoff in Friday's game for the first time since April 19, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in the eventual 9-3 victory before departing early. If the 24-year-old continues to swing the bat well, he could find himself atop Washington's batting order more often against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed swinger. Young raised his batting average to .311 and his OPS to .732 on the year with the one-hit night. It doesn't sound like his injury is very serious, but if the back spasms linger and Young is forced to the injured list, the Nats could bring up outfield prospect James Wood, who is hitting .314/.422/.461 at Triple-A Rochester.
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young continued to showcase his speed in Monday's 7-2 win over the Marlins. Young went 1-for-4 with a single and two stolen bases. The 24-year-old is now slashing .328/.368/.391 with no home runs, 16 runs scored, seven RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 70 plate appearances. He may not provide much power, but Young's speed makes him worth a look in deeper roto leagues.
Nationals Calling Up Outfield Prospect Jacob Young
The Washington Nationals are calling up outfield prospect Jacob Young from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, according to a source. Young will replace outfielder Victor Robles (hamstring), who was injured in Wednesday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 24-year-old hit .252 with 13 stolen bases in 107 at-bats with the Nats last year in his rookie season in 33 games played. MLB Pipeline has him listed as the team's No. 18 prospect. Fantasy managers were probably hoping Washington would call up either Dylan Crews or James Wood, the team's top two prospects, but it will be Young for now. Young is worthy of picking up for his speed in deep-mixed and NL-only leagues, but be mindful that he might only be in the Nats' starting lineup when they are facing a left-handed pitcher.
Jacob Young, Victor Robles To Compete For Center Field Job
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said on Wednesday that outfielders Jacob Young and Victor Robles will be competing for the center field job this year. It's a surprise after Robles was signed for $2.65 million over the winter after missing most of 2023 due to a back injury. Young started last year at Single-A Wilmington and finished with 33 big-league games in D.C. Martinez clarified his comments a bit on Thursday, saying "Vic has a little bit of the upper hand." Robles has been mostly inconsistent in parts of seven major-league seasons, but he showed improvement before his injury in 2023 by hitting .299 with a .385 on-base percentage in 36 games. Common sense suggests Young needs more time in the minors, so it would be a surprise if Robles wasn't the Nats' starting center fielder on Opening Day, but if he scuffles at all during the year, Young could get the nod.
