Turner went 2-for-4 with two double, a run an RBI and a walk during Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old was 0-for-8 with four strikeouts through the first two games of the series, but he returned to form and was on base three times Wednesday. Turner is 9-for-35 with two home runs, three doubles, five runs, five RBI and one stolen base through nine games this season.

Turner went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Turner singled in each of his first three at-bats, as he was responsible for three of the five hits Kershaw gave up in the game. The 27-year-old also swiped his first bag of the season and turned in quite a productive fantasy performance on an otherwise very unproductive day at the plate for the Nationals. Turner has been top four in the MLB in steals in each of the last four seasons so his stolen base Sunday will be the first of many to come.

Turner went 2-for-7 with a two-run home run and a double during Wednesday's doubleheader against the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old did all his damage during the Game 1 loss and went deep off Max Fried during the first inning to put Washington on the board. Turner is 3-for-11 with two home runs, one double and four RBI through the first three games of the season.

Turner went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and one strikeout during Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old's status was in question for the season opener after not being seen at Monday's workout, but he took his usual spot in the field at shortstop Tuesday for Washington. Turner took Drew Smyly deep during the third inning for the Nationals' first home run of the season.

Turner is listed on the Nationals' 26-man active roster ahead of Tuesday's season-opening doubleheader with the Braves, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Nationals were cleared to resume workouts Monday after 11 players in the organization went into quarantine due to COVID-19 protocols, but Turner wasn't in attendance for the session. His absence fueled speculation that he might be among the players in isolation, but his inclusion on the roster suggests that he'll be good to go as the Nationals open up their season. Fantasy managers who had been waiting for clarity on Turner's status before including him in weekly lineups can probably activate him with more confidence now.

Turner was not on the field for the Nationals' workout Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Eleven players in total are reported to be in quarantine for the Nats due to positive COVID-19 tests or being designated a close contact, and Turner's absence from the workout suggests he's probably in one of those groups. If he's one of the latter, he could still be cleared to play in time for Tuesday's game against Atlanta, but assuming Turner is out of the lineup, Hernan Perez appears to be the likely candidate to get the start at shortstop.

Turner is expected to begin the season hitting third in the batting order, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The shortstop spent the majority of 2020 hitting leadoff for the Nats, but this spring, manager Dave Martinez expressed a desire to move Turner into a run-producing spot and has followed through. It's hard to argue the .335/.394/.588 slash line Turner delivered last year doesn't belong in the heart of the order, but the success of the switch will likely depend more on how Victor Robles fares as the team's new table-setter. If Turner does find a new permanent home in the No. 3 spot, hitting behind Juan Soto rather than the bottom of the order should give him a massive boost in RBI opportunities, but it's not yet clear how it might impact his stolen-base total.

Turner has gone 5-for-25 (.200) through 11 Grapefruit League games with one double and one stolen base on two attempts.

EDGE Analysis

On the bright side, Turner has drawn seven walks against seven strikeouts, but otherwise the shortstop is still trying to find his timing at the plate. There's little reason to be concerned with his performance after he slashed .335/.394/.588 in 2020 with 12 homers and 12 steals in 59 games, but Nats manager Dave Martinez has experimented all spring with Victor Robles in the leadoff spot, and a move down to the two or three hole in the batting order could wind up costing Turner some stolen base opportunities.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez acknowledged Sunday that he's considering moving Turner from the leadoff spot into the No. 2 or 3 spot in the order in 2021, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. "Possibly," Martinez said, regarding the possibility of shifting Turner down a spot or two in the lineup. "Like I said, we're running a lot of different lineups, different numbers, talking to a bunch of our analytical people."

EDGE Analysis

Coming off an abbreviated 2020 campaign in which Turner slashed an impressive .335/.394/.588, the Nationals are looking for ways to maximize his production at the plate. While slotting one spot lower in the lineup would likely result in a hit to Turner's stolen-base opportunities, he would benefit from an increase in chances to drive in runs. Only 58 of Turner's 259 plate appearances last season came with a runner in scoring position, resulting in the 27-year-old netting only 41 RBI in 59 games despite a monstrous .982 OPS. The Nationals don't have an ideal option on the roster who can come close to providing Turner's speed and on-base skills versus right-handed pitching, but Martinez floated the possibility of Victor Robles replacing Turner as the leadoff man versus lefties. Expect Martinez to experiment with his lineups throughout Grapefruit League play before determining whether Turner will slot in the order once Opening Day arrives.

Turner and the Nationals agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The star shortstop gets a big raise compared to the $7.45 million deal he signed last offseason. It's hard to say that's undeserved, as he's coming off a year in which he hit an excellent .335/.394/.588 with 12 homers and 12 steals over 59 games. Prorated to a standard 162-game season, that translates to 32.4 homers and steals, which would be a full-season low in the latter category for Turner but which would smash his previous career best of 19 homers.