Taylor is not in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

This comes as a bit of a surprise given the Nationals' off-day Thursday, but some reports speculate an injury is at play in this instance. No official word has come forth yet, though Taylor did foul a ball off his foot in Wednesday's contest. Regardless, Andrew Stevenson will replace him in center field for the series opener with Arizona.

Taylor went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in the loss Tuesday to the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor's long ball tied up the game in the fourth, and was an impressive opposite-field shot that just cleared the right field wall. The home run was his second of the year, and brought his RBI total to eight. Taylor is hitting an underwhelming .220, but is 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts with 13 runs scored. His 30 strikeouts in 82 at-bats is really hurting his ability to be more of an asset on the base paths.

Taylor has been given a green light to run whenever he wants by manager Dave Martinez unless he's been specifically told to stay put, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martinez's faith in his center fielder's ability on the basepaths has been rewarded, as Taylor notched his ninth steal in nine attempts during Monday's loss to the Giants. Teammate Trea Turner is enjoying the same privilege, but Taylor's freedom is a little more surprising given that he was just 17-for-24 (70.8 percent) on steal attempts last year. Between the two of them they've led the Nats to the top of MLB with 27 stolen bases -- six more than the second-place White Sox -- and their overall 84.4 percent success rate also ranks the team among the league leaders. Taylor is already halfway to a new career high in steals through only 23 games, and despite a weak .218/.291/.321 slash line he's providing plenty of fantasy value just with his legs.

Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, one RBI and one walk Sunday in the loss to the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor belted his first home run of the season in the fourth inning to put his team on top, but it wasn't enough as Washington ended up falling 4-3. The 27-year-old center fielder is slashing a disappointing .224/.280/.329 through 22 games. Taylor will look to make consistent contact moving forward (28 strikeouts in 76 at-bats) as the Nationals match up with the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Taylor went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's win over the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

After a slow start to the season, Taylor's begun to pick up the pace at the plate, going 6-for-20 (.300) over the last six games with three doubles, three RBI, six runs and two steals. Strikeouts remain an issue for the 27-year-old, however -- he's fanned 10 times in those six games, fueling a 34.7 percent strikeout rate on the year that would be a career worst. Taylor's also looking for his first homer after connecting on a career-high 19 in 2017. Until he begins making more consistent contact, he'll be a risky fantasy play.

Taylor will start in center field and bat ninth Thursday against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor has hit out of the sixth or seventh spot in the lineup in each of his other four starts this season, so batting ninth is unfamiliar territory for the outfielder. The low slotting in the order hasn't deterred Taylor on the basepaths yet, as the 27-year-old has gone a perfect 3-for-3 on steal attempts. However, it's uncertain if he'll maintain as aggressive of an approach on the bases now that he's batting directly in front of three of the team's top hitters in Adam Eaton, Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper.

Taylor is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor will head to the bench for a breather after starting the previous two games and going 1-for-7 with five strikeouts. Brian Goodwin will pick up another start in his place, manning center field and hitting seventh.

Taylor is out of Saturday's lineup against the Reds, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run in Friday's opener. Brian Goodwin will start in center field and hit seventh in his place.

Taylor (side) went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

Tightness in his side had kept Taylor on the shelf for nearly two weeks, but he looked to be healthy patrolling center field in his return to the lineup and he appears to be on track for Opening Day. The 26-year-old posted a career-high .806 OPS last year, and if he can avoid lengthy DL stints he could be poised for his first 20-20 season in 2018.

Taylor (side) is in Saturday's lineup against the Mets, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Taylor has been out of the lineup since March 5 with side tightness. He has appeared in a minor-league game and is now set to return to Grapefruit League action. Barring setbacks, he should be good to go by Opening Day.