The Washington Nationals have sent down one of their top players after a disappointing spring training
The Washington Nationals have made another roster decision, this time sending one of the team’s top rated players down to the minor league.
The team announced on Friday morning that outfielder Dylan Crews has been optioned to Triple A Rochester, easily marking the most notable the most notable move of the offseason. But it does not come with a surprise given the struggles through spring training. Crews has slashed .103/.206/.103 with 11 strikeouts and four walks drawn during spring training.
With the move, Daylen Lile and Joey Wiemer now sit as the top options to become the third and final outfielder alongside Jacob Young and James Wood.
The move also now sends one of the team’s top prospects down to Triple A in a disappointing chapter in his career. Now 24, Crews arrived with the organization after becoming the second overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft before shooting through the Nationals’ farm system and making his MLB debut in 2024. Crews missed roughly three months during the 2025 season due to an oblique injury. Now, Crews will look to bounce back after a lackluster showing over the last month.
Crews now becomes the latest addition to the outfield in Rochester after the team previously announced that Robert Hassell III was among three players to be optioned down to Triple A.
MLB Trade Rumors also noted that the move could drastically impact Crews’ eligibility for both arbitration and free agency down the line. If Crews stayed in the majors this season, he would remain under club control for another four seasons after 2026. If Crews spends at least at least two months with Rochester, then his path to free agency would be delayed by another season.
The move also marks a statement by first year manager Blake Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. In his last stint in the minors in 2025, Crews hit .244 with a .795 OPS and two home runs. This time around, Crews will get a chance to get back on track with hopes of becoming the impact piece that was expected out of him after being drafted.
Crews was also one of two players announced who were optioned down to Triple A Rochester, joining pitcher Jackson Rutledge in the minors. In seven appearances, he posted a 2.84 ERA with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched. He finished with 65 strikeouts in 63 games in the majors in 2025.