Jacob Young DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (shoulder) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 20, with an AC sprain in his left shoulder. The former seventh-round pick picked up the injury last Saturday when he slammed into the outfield wall in the team's 10-6 win against the Baltimore Orioles. Dylan Crews (oblique) is also on the IL, so prospect Robert Hassell III should have every opportunity for everyday playing time moving forward, especially after an impressive MLB debut on Thursday. Young's season line is uninspiring (.227/.309/.282), but he's exhibiting a solid eye at the plate (15% strikeout rate) and is vastly underperforming his .279 xBA. Look for him to get some better BABIP luck when he returns.

Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (shoulder) has been scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Alex Call will start in right field and bat seventh, while Dylan Crews will slide over to center field while hitting ninth. Young will miss his second straight game with a left-shoulder injury, but he could be back for Wednesday's contest in D.C. The 25-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2021 out of Florida has only been relevant as outfield depth in NL-only leagues so far in 2025 while hitting just .227/.309/.282 with no home run, six RBI, 15 runs scored and five stolen bases in 110 at-bats. Young has gone 10-for-44 (.227) with a double, triple, five RBI, three steals and four runs so far in 15 games in May. Call has a much nicer .283 average (26-for-92) but is also searching for his first long ball of 2025.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and outfielder Jacob Young are not in Sunday's lineup when the Nationals face the St. Louis Cardinals. Ruiz has started each of the previous three contests. Over his last 10 games, the backstop has been very productive at the plate, holding a .282/.317/.308 line with a 6:2 K:BB. Fantasy managers should expect Ruiz to return to the starting nine on Monday when they face the Atlanta Braves. Young has been in the starting lineup in each of the past 12 games. During this stretch, the 25-year-old has posted a modest .220/.273/.268 line. As a result, Riley Adams will be behind the dish, and Dylan Crews will shift to center field, which opens right field for Alex Call. The Nationals are worth a look in DFS facing Miles Mikolas, who enters this game holding a 4.76 ERA.

Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young and third baseman Jose Tena will start on the bench for Thursday's contest against the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. Dylan Crews is starting in center field and will bat eighth, Alex Call is in right field and in the two-hole, and Amed Rosario is starting at third base and batting sixth versus Orioles left-hander Cade Povich. Young went 0-for-3 on Wednesday to snap a three-game hitting streak and is hitting just .220 (11-for-50) with no homers, one RBI, two steals and six runs scored as a platoon outfielder in D.C. Tena has hits in both of his at-bats against lefties this year with two RBI, but the left-handed hitter will take a seat in favor of Rosario. Although Call has yet to clear the fences in 42 at-bats in 2025, he'll be the better DFS sleeper play in the second spot. The 30-year-old is hitting .310 (13-for-42) with eight RBI and seven runs scored.

Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young is out of the lineup again on Sunday against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Dylan Crews will slide over to center field again and hit ninth, while Alex Call is making another start in right field and will bat seventh against Arizona right-hander Corbin Burnes. The Nationals have held Young out of the lineup the last two days while he works to clean up his hitting mechanics after starting the 2025 season with a .067/.263/.133 slash line with a double, two runs scored, a stolen base, three walks and two strikeouts in his first seven games. Manager Dave Martinez said that the 25-year-old will return to the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but fantasy managers in deeper leagues may want to keep him benched until he shows signs of breaking out of his early-season slump.