Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 7/4/16 3:19 PM

Manager Dusty Baker suggested Monday that Taylor could return to the Nationals within 10 days, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor was surprisingly sent to Triple-A on Monday, but it seems as if the Nationals are simply looking to get him some extra at-bats through the upcoming All-Star break. The team needed a roster spot for the activation of Jonathan Papelbon on Sunday, and decided to sacrifice one of their bench options in favor of retaining more relief pitching. Until Taylor is back, Chris Heisey and Clint Robinson will serve as the fourth and fifth outfielders, respectively.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 7/4/16 10:25 AM

Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.
EDGE Analysis
In a highly surprising move, Taylor will me demoted to the minors just 35 minutes before Sunday's first pitch. The Nationals needed a roster spot for the activation of Jonathan Papelbon, but one would have thought they would have looked somewhere other than Taylor, a player who hit leadoff Sunday and has accumulated 203 plate appearances this season. The only logical explanation here is that the team needs to preserve their bullpen, and Taylor will be back in the majors in short order. The move will leave manager Dusty Baker with just four bench options Monday, as Daniel Murphy will presumably be unavailable as he deals with a minor injury.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 6/25/16 1:11 PM

Taylor is not in the lineup for Saturday's matchup with Milwaukee, William Ladson of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor has made starts in six of the last seven Nationals' games and so will cede center field duties to Ben Revere with Jayson Werth sliding over to left. When Taylor likely returns to the lineup on Sunday, he'll look to make better contact with the ball as he's 1-for-10 with eight strikeouts over his last two games.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Tue 6/21/16 6:12 PM

Taylor is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.
EDGE Analysis
On Sunday, manager Dusty Baker said that Taylor will start in center field against left-handed pitching as part of a platoon. But with Scott Kazmir (a southpaw) on the mound, Taylor is not in the lineup in favor for Ben Revere who will be leading off for the Nationals tonight. Taylor has started four consecutive games for Washington and is having a great June, hitting .378 with two home runs and six RBI. He will most likely be back in the lineup Wednesday with the Nationals facing left-handed pitcher Julio Urias for the finale of the Dodgers series.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 6/20/16 11:00 AM

Nationals manager Dusty Baker said after Sunday's game that Taylor would start in center field against left-handed pitching, The Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
That makes Taylor a fairly strong play this week, as the Nats face three consecutive left-handed Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir and Julio Urias) beginning Monday. Whether he stays on the short side of a platoon or takes more time away from Ben Revere going forward will depend largely on how Taylor produces, as he struggled earlier in the season while Revere was hurt.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sun 6/19/16 8:11 PM

Taylor went-4-for-4 with a double, two solo homers and a steal Sunday at the Padres.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor's second blast of the contest tied the game at two in the fifth inning, but the Nationals were unable to score after that, leading to a road loss. He's now stolen a base in three straight games to give him 10 on the year.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 6/11/16 3:43 PM

Taylor went 3-for-5 with a double and RBI in Saturday's 8-0 victory over the Phillies.
EDGE Analysis
The speedy outfielder was part of the Nationals' four-run second inning, as his single plated Stephen Drew to make the score 3-0 at the time. Taylor is starting to leave his atrocious start to the season in the rearview mirror, as he's now hitting .348 (8-for-23) with three doubles and a trio of RBI to date in June. After most recently bottoming out at .146 on April 17, the 25-year-old's average has seen a 73-point boost to its current figure of .219.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 6/9/16 5:20 PM

Taylor is in the lineup, playing center field and batting ninth, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor is making his third start in the last six games, filling in for Ben Revere who is receiving a maintenance day. The 25-year-old has recorded hits in each of his last three games, two of which have been doubles. On the downside, he's also struck out six times during that span.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Wed 6/1/16 3:51 PM

Taylor is in the lineup and batting seventh for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor will get the start in center field, but the 25-year-old has struggled offensively this season, hitting .195/.235/.328 with four home runs and six RBI, so his fantasy value could be limited.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 5/21/16 10:56 AM

Taylor got the start in center field Friday and went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 4-1 win over the Marlins.
EDGE Analysis
Ben Revere continues to struggle since coming off the DL, which could allow Taylor to at least get some playing time against left-handers going forward, as he did Friday. Taylor's own .192/.234/.325 slash line doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but he is hitting a more useful .250/.300/.500 in 28 at-bats against lefties.