Taylor will bat ninth Tuesday against the Red Sox, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports. After an 0-for-4 showing in Monday's series opener, Taylor is now batting .207 with 11 strikeouts on the young season. Manager Matt Williams will move him to the opposite end of the batting order, slotting Yunel Escobar in as his leadoff man, and it's possible Taylor could remain in the nine-hole until his play warrants a move back up.

Taylor went 1-for-4 on Saturday with a walk, three strikeouts and his first stolen base of the season. He's been one of the few bright spots in the Nationals' offense through the first week of the season, collecting a hit in each of the club's first five games and slashing .286/.318/.524. Taylor also has seven K's in 21 at-bats, however, so unless he starts making more consistent contact his numbers could tumble in a hurry.

Taylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run to lead off the game in the Nationals' 4-1 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night. He's now hitting .294 with a home run and three RBI to start the season, and should be in line for plenty of playing time for now. However, the question will come when Denard Span and Jason Werth return from injuries and the outfield picture becomes much more cloudy.

Taylor will start in center field and bat leadoff against the Mets on Monday, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. This is the way manager Matt Williams' lineup was trending toward the end of spring action, with Taylor atop the order, followed by Yunel Escobar, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Taylor struck out 15 times in 65 Grapefruit League at-bats but also hit at a .323 clip with five doubles, two triples and four home runs. He should hold down a regular spot in the lineup at least until Denard Span (abdomen) returns.

Taylor will hit leadoff in the Nationals' final exhibition game on Saturday against the Yankees, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. Other than the Nats needing a DH, Saturday's lineup looks to be the one the club will use to kick off the regular season. Taylor has a chance to produce some real fantasy value while he fills in for Denard Span (core surgery) in center field, but he'll need to keep his strikeout issues under control.

Taylor homered twice off Justin Verlander in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. While it's hard to say whether the performance says more about Taylor or Verlander, it is a very encouraging sign for the center fielder, who should see regular at-bats while Denard Span recovers from core muscle surgery. Given Taylor's strikeout issues, don't expect him to be be an asset in batting average, but he could supply some power and speed as a late round sleeper.

Taylor went 1-for-3 Wednesday with his first stolen base of the spring. He's flashed his power already this spring, hitting .292 with a .625 SLG, so Taylor showing a little speed is nice to see as well. He does have an ugly 0:7 BB:K ratio through 24 at-bats though, so while he is an intriguing sleeper to begin the season thanks to Denard Span's surgery, temper your expectations.

Taylor appears poised to start the season as the Nationals' starting center fielder after Denard Span underwent core muscle surgery Monday, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports. Span will not be able to partake in baseball activities for 4-to-6 weeks, meaning he will likely need a rehab assignment before rejoining the Nationals, and could miss most, if not all of April. Taylor makes for a very nice fill-in option for Span's owners, and for owners of other injured outfielders like Hunter Pence and Michael Saunders, as Taylor has the potential to contribute right away in homers and steals. The lanky 23-year-old had 22 homers, 34 steals and a 29.5 percent K-rate in 441 plate appearances at Double-A last year, so there will likely be a pretty low batting average accompanying the impressive counting stats while he fills in for Span.

Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday. The Nats decided to leave Taylor, who logged just 12 games at the Triple-A level during the regular season, down at Syracuse for the affiliate's postseason run. With the Chiefs' season ending with a 7-6 loss Friday, however, the big club will welcome the 23-year-old aboard. Taylor did hit .313/.396/.539 with 22 homers and 34 stolen bases with Double-A Harrisburg before making the jump to Syracuse, but he'll likely work primarily off the bench over the final weeks of the regular season, with the team's starting corps of outfielders healthy.

Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday. The 23-year-old has made just one plate appearance this week with the Nats' outfield at full strength, but he'll now head to Syracuse to play regularly over the remainder of the minor league season. While Taylor has logged just four games with Syracuse to this point, he hit an impressive .313/.396/.539 in 98 games with Double-A Harrisburg this season and will undoubtedly return once rosters expand.