1st Timer Dylan Crews: No. 2 Overall Pick Debuts Against Favorites Yankees

The Washington Nationals are not a very good team this MLB season, but a big part of their future will be on display Monday night for the first time as outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, will make his big-league debut vs. the Yankees, who are solid favorites on the MLB odds.

NY Yankees at Washington: 2024 MLB Expert Analysis

New York Yankees -189

The Yanks enter having won four of five after beating the visiting Rockies on Sunday – a loss there would have been embarrassing, as awful Colorado had a chance to win the series. New York infielder DJ LeMahieu was in the starting lineup Sunday, as he hadn’t played since taking a baseball to the face during pregame warmups Friday and landing on the concussion protocol list, which he quickly cleared.

Phil Bickford

Before Monday’s game, the team called up reliever Phil Bickford from Triple-A after releasing fellow reliever Michael Tonkin. Bickford had previously made five relief appearances for New York earlier this season and was hit hard over five innings, yielding eight earned runs on eight hits and one walk. Tonkin had a nice find for the Yanks earlier this season, but he had struggled over the past month-plus, permitting 16 runs (15 earned) and 24 hits over his last 19 1/3 innings (6.98 ERA). Prior to those 12 appearances, Tonkin had pitched to a 1.47 ERA in 27 games (36 2/3 innings).

Anthony Rizzo

First baseman Rizzo has been out months with a right forearm fracture but has begun a minor-league rehab. Though Rizzo is close to full strength, the team wants to be cautious and allow additional healing to protect the bone against a fall. Rizzo sustained the initial injury on June 16 at Boston. Thus, we probably won’t see him in this series quite yet.

Aaron Judge

On Sunday, AL MVP favorite hit his 50th homer of the season to become the fifth player in MLB history with three-plus seasons of 50 or more home runs, along with Babe Ruth (4 times), Mark McGwire (4), Sammy Sosa (4) and Alex Rodriguez (3). Judge could potentially break his AL record of 62 homers set two years ago when he won his first AL MVP.

Juan Soto

Fellow All-Star and former National should also get to 40 this year, as he’s just a few dingers shy. If so, it would be only the 33rd time that two teammates have cracked the 40 mark in the same season. One of those came just last year, courtesy of the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna. The last pair of Yankees to do it? Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961. Of course, Soto was once a young rising superstar in Washington but traded to San Diego in 2022.

Nestor Cortes on the Hill

It’s lefty on the mound Monday. Cortes (7-10, 4.00 ERA) picked up the win last Wednesday, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings in an 8-1 victory over Cleveland. He struck out four without walking a batter. Cortes was brilliant in tossing 68 of 104 pitches for strikes and going three up, three down in six of the seven innings he worked, with the Guardians only getting a runner into scoring position in the fifth. The quality start was the 11th of the season for Cortes and his second straight. He carries a 14-inning scoreless streak into this one.

This will be Cortes’ first career appearance vs. Washington. ^  

Washington Nationals +159

The Nationals played potential spoilers over the weekend in sweeping three games at NL wild-card contender Atlanta. That despite putting one of their hottest hitters, outfielder Alex Call, on the injured list on Saturday due to a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot suffered on Friday after falling while chasing a fly ball. Between his current hot stretch and a seven-game stint on the Nationals’ roster earlier this season, Call is hitting .343/.425/.525 with three homers over 113 plate appearances in 2024.

Lane Thomas

After Thomas was traded to the Guardians at the deadline, Call stepped into the everyday right field job and cemented himself in the lineup with his hot bat. He will be replaced on an every-day basis by Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and No. 3 overall prospect in the sport, as he’s set for his MLB debut tonight.

Dylan Crews

Playing in his first full pro season, Crews slashed .270/.343/.446 with 21 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs, 60 runs and 68 RBIs with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester in 100 total games. He’s also swiped 25 bases and drawn 35 walks. Crews has been hot at the plate this month, slugging .542 with four homers and 14 RBIs in August.

Crews will give Washington a terrific young outfield along with another former top prospect in James Wood, who has been playing left field, and stellar defender Jacob Young in center field. It’s likely not a coincidence that Crews is being promoted this late, as the Nats should be able to keep his rookie status intact for 2025. To lose rookie status, a position player needs to either spend 45 days on an active roster or log 130 at-bats. There are now less than 45 days left in the 2024 season, so the Nationals will undoubtedly manage his playing time in such a way that he doesn’t get to that 130 at-bat threshold.

James Wood

Wood, meanwhile, leads the National League and is third in Major League Baseball with a .464 on-base percentage since July 27. His .591 slugging percentage ranks seventh in the NL over this span. Since being called up on July 1, Wood has 34 batted balls over 105 MPH, seventh in MLB since that date. He is 19-for-34 (.559) with two doubles and three homers on those 34 batted balls.

Mitchell Parker on the Mound

It’s young lefty Parker on the hill here. Parker (7-7) picked up the win last Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over seven innings during a 6-1 victory over the Rockies. He struck out six. The 24-year-old took a shutout into the seventh inning before Colorado finally got on the board, and Parker left the mound after 83 pitches (61 strikes) having delivered his ninth quality start of the year, including three in four August outings. Parker will take a 4.26 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 104:32 K:BB in 122.2 innings into Monday and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. He has never faced the Yankees.

Yankees at Nationals Info

When: Monday, 6:45 PM ET
Where: Nationals Park
Pitchers (away/home): Nestor Cortes/Mitchell Parker
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/game day audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/ ^

.@MLB's No. 3 overall prospect Dylan Crews is reportedly being called up to make his MLB debut on Monday vs. the Yankees 👏 pic.twitter.com/NhYq7ggahR

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 23, 2024

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