Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 6/18/18 6:40 PM

Taylor is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
EDGE Analysis
Despite collecting three hits and four stolen bases in Sunday's series finale against the Blue Jays, Taylor will head to the bench as the Nationals go with Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Adam Eaton (from left to right) in their outfield. The 27-year-old is hitting .412/.459/.588 through 12 games this month.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 6/18/18 10:26 AM

Taylor went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four stolen bases in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays.
EDGE Analysis
He made Toronto catcher Russell Martin's afternoon a fairly miserable one, going 4-for-4 on steal attempts. Taylor now leads the majors with 21 stolen bases on the season, surging ahead of Ender Inciarte and teammate Trea Turner with this performance, and his .412/.459/.588 slash line through 12 games in June will make it very hard for Nats manager Dave Martinez to take him out of the lineup.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 6/16/18 11:12 PM

Taylor went 2-for-3 in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
EDGE Analysis
The Nationals only managed three hits on the day, but Taylor was able to stay in a groove, collecting a hit in his 13th straight start. He's hitting .333 (22-for-66) over his last 21 games with two homers, six steals, seven runs and 10 RBI, but with Adam Eaton now healthy, Taylor will continue to come off the bench a couple of times a week as manager Dave Martinez tries to squeeze four outfielders into three spots.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 6/11/18 11:24 AM

Taylor went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Giants.
EDGE Analysis
He was the only Nat to reach base twice in the 2-0 loss, but his second-inning double play also snuffed out one of the team's few rallies on the day. Taylor has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, posting a .333/.391/.571 slash line over that stretch, and while his overall numbers on the season remain poor his 17 steals (in 19 attempts) does rank fourth in the majors, two behind MLB leader Dee Gordon.

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.