Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews crushed his first major-league home run in Wednesday night's win over the visiting New York Yankees at Nationals Park, propelling the team to a series victory. Crews launched a solo home run to left-center for his first career home run in the majors to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the first inning, later rocketing a double to the gap in left-center to bring home Jacob Young and give the Nats a 5-1 lead in the fourth frame. The 22-year-old top prospect is flashing five-category tendencies during the infant stages of his big-league career, going 4-for-11 with two runs scored and a stolen base in three games, and Crews should be rostered for this upside in the majority of fantasy leagues down the stretch.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams will get the day off on Wednesday versus the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. Nasim Nunez will get the nod at the 6 and will bat ninth, while rookie outfielder Dylan Crews will play right field and be moved up to the leadoff spot against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Abrams is getting a day to clear his head after going hitless in eight at-bats with two strikeouts in the first two games of the series against the Bombers. The 23-year-old has actually hit better against lefties (.287 in 170 plate appearances), but he has only four of his 18 homers on the year against southpaws and could use a blow. Abrams has also gone 8-for-49 (.163) with a homer, three RBI and 17 K's in 13 games since Aug. 14. Crews will be playing in his third MLB game after debuting on Monday. He picked up his first big-league hit on Tuesday with a two-hit performance.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews made his long-awaited MLB debut on Monday but didn't record his first hit until Tuesday, when his team beat the New York Yankees 4-2. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Crews is currently ranked as the third-best prospect in baseball (MLB Pipeline), and his call-up has been expected for a few weeks now. The 22-year-old has tremendous potential and power that can immediately impact ball games. Crews has a ton of fantasy upside and should be added in all formats, as he is rostered only in 35% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin improved to 4-12 on Tuesday, pitching a gem against a tough Yankees lineup in a 4-2 win. Corbin pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The 35-year-old veteran has strung together two consecutive quality starts, but his overall season numbers are still poor with a 5.50 ERA, a 6.90 K/9 rate, and a 2.93 BB/9 rate in 27 starts and 147 1/3 IP. His next start will be a much more favorable matchup at the Marlins. Even so, fantasy managers may not want to trust Corbin so close to fantasy playoffs.

First baseman/designated hitter Joey Gallo is in the lineup for the Washington Nationals against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, starting at first base and batting eighth in the order against right-hander Gerrit Cole. Gallo is hitting .165/.285/.310 with five homers, 12 RBI, and 18 runs scored in 52 games with the Nationals. He has struck out 78 times in 158 at-bats and has not homered since June 3. Not even the deepest fantasy leagues can justify having Gallo on a roster. At this point, it appears his days as a major-leaguer are winding down. You'll also want to avoid him in DFS against strikeout artist Cole.