Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 6/9/18 10:27 AM

Taylor is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against San Francisco, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
With the return of Adam Eaton (ankle) from the 60-day disabled list, Taylor may be relegated to a reserve role for the foreseeable future, especially given the success of Juan Soto in left field. But Taylor has been doing all he can recently to prove that he warrants a spot in the regular lineup, hitting .310/.365/.603 with 10 RBI and 11 extra-base hits over his past 16 games. Expect to see him find a way into the starting nine on a semi-regular bases, though this will be a situation to keep an eye on moving forward.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 6/4/18 12:01 PM

Taylor went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and two stolen bases in Sunday's loss to the Braves.
EDGE Analysis
The center fielder has finally put together a couple of good weeks at the plate, slashing .283/.353/.609 over his last 13 games with two homers, four steals, four runs and seven RBI. Taylor's defense has kept him in the lineup so far, but whether his recent surge on offense is enough for him to hang onto a starting job when Adam Eaton (ankle) gets healthy remains to be seen.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Fri 6/1/18 4:27 PM

Taylor is out of Friday's lineup against the Braves.
EDGE Analysis
Brian Goodwin, who was activated from the disabled list Friday, is starting in center field and hitting sixth. With Adam Eaton (ankle) due back as early as next weekend, Taylor could tumble down the organizational depth chart this month, as he is primarily providing value with his glove, hitting just .204/.273/.356 over 210 plate appearances.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 5/26/18 9:48 AM

Taylor went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's win over the Marlins.
EDGE Analysis
His two-run shot off Jose Urena in the second inning got the Nats on the board, while his double in the seventh kicked off a rally that put the team in the lead for good. Taylor now has five hits in his last four games, with four of them (two doubles, a triple and Friday's homer) going for extra bases, but it's hard to say he's completely shaken out of his slump when he's also struck out seven times over that stretch.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Wed 5/23/18 10:41 AM

Taylor went 1-for-4 with a walkoff RBI double in Tuesday's win over the Padres.
EDGE Analysis
After posting a miserable .107/.167/.143 slash line through the first 16 games in May, Taylor may be emerging from his slump, collecting two hits including a triple in Monday's win before playing the hero Tuesday. He'll still need to make more contact to fully break out, however -- he's fanned 27 times in 64 at-bats this month, and his 32.6 percent strikeout rate for the season remains very poor.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Tue 5/15/18 4:47 PM

Taylor is not starting Tuesday against the Yankees.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor had started 15 of Washington's last 16 games before his day off Tuesday. He's hitting just .186/.253/.310 on the season, though he faces no immediate threats to his job with highly-touted outfield prospect Victor Robles sidelined for months with an elbow injury. Andrew Stevenson gets the start in center field Tuesday, but his career .200/.271/.242 slash line in 56 major-league games doesn't make him much of a threat either.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 5/5/18 12:43 PM

Taylor is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Philadelphia.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor will occupy a spot on the bench following seven straight starts as Andrew Stevenson draws the nod in center field. Over 33 games this year, Taylor is hitting just .200/.264/.339 with three home runs and nine RBI, though he has managed to swipe 10 stolen bases already. Expect him back in the lineup Sunday.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 5/3/18 4:09 PM

Taylor is still dealing with a bit of groin pain, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor hasn't been sidelined by the issue much since returning to the lineup Saturday, so it doesn't appear to be something that is overly concerning. However, he did appear to be slowing up earlier on the base paths during Thursday's contest, so this situation is worth monitoring in case it limits his ability to steal bases for the next few days.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 4/28/18 12:15 PM

Taylor (groin) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor was held out of the lineup Friday, but he was able to pinch hit and will return to the lineup Saturday after missing the lone start with groin soreness. The 27-year-old has had the green light to run this season he's capitalized, going 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts. However, he's still striking out more than 31 percent of the time and the rate power has fallen off considerably from a year ago (.128 ISO, .216 last season).

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Fri 4/27/18 4:45 PM

Taylor is sidelined with a sore groin but is available off the bench Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
There was speculation that Taylor might be a little banged up given his absence from the lineup after a day off, and those rumblings proved to be true. The team appears to simply be taking the cautious route with their speedy center fielder, so consider Taylor day-to-day for now. Andrew Stevenson will man center field for the evening to replace him.