Where Dylan Crews' Future with Washington Nationals Stands

The Nationals thought they struck gold by landing a top-two pick in the coveted 2023 MLB Draft. It gave them a chance to select one of the can’t-miss LSU prospects, starting pitcher Paul Skenes or outfielder Dylan Crews.

The Nationals, of course, ended up with Crews. The back-to-back SEC Player of the Year was viewed as a franchise cornerstone alongside young prospects like James Wood, Cade Cavalli, and young MLB stars like CJ Abrams. 

Fast forward three years, and they've all teamed up in MLB, but Crews is yet to break out into the superstar he was expected to be. 

Crews first reached the Major Leagues in 2024. He made 31 appearances after being called up in August and finished with a .218 average and three home runs. 

He remained on the MLB roster throughout 2025 but played only 85 games after an oblique injury sidelined him for almost three months. The 2025 season was his least successful, as he batted just .208 with 10 home runs and a .631 OPS.

After spending all of 2025 in MLB, along with a rehab assignment in Triple-A, Crews did not make the Opening Day lineup in 2026 under new manager Blake Butera. 

Still, he made the most appearances in 2026, finishing with a .223 batting average, a .663 OPS, and 13 home runs. He also played the best defense of his career, finishing in the 87th percentile of outfielders with four outs above average. 

Crews showed positive signs that a turnaround could be possible. His 2026 analytics showed he was hitting balls farther and was actually quite an unlucky batter, with an expected batting average of .241. His exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and bat speed were all in the 62nd percentile or better, all big leaps from 2025. 

But does that mean he has a guaranteed Opening Day roster spot? He still hasn’t shown that he could get over the hump against Major League competition. 

Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni showed that he is willing to find ready-to-go offseason acquisitions, as he did with Joey Wiemer in the 2026 offseason. Wiemer took an Opening Day outfield spot over Crews. 

The Nationals also have three established outfielders and are looking to win next season. As long as Wood, Jacob Young and Daylen Lile aren’t moved in the offseason, they will be locks for Opening Day spots. 

Now, Crews will be 25 at the start of the 2027 season, and his production hasn’t shown he can be a day-to-day starter for a team that wants to compete and maintain a top offense in 2027. 

He still struggles to maintain at-bats. He saw 3.67 pitches per plate appearance and had a 24.2% strikeout rate in 2026. His strikeout rate was worse than in 2025, and his pitches per plate appearance rose by just .10. 

His time to prove himself as a franchise cornerstone is running dry, and with his timeline unclear, and it is possible that the Nationals chopse to cash in on his pedigree-driven value and trade him this offseason. 

Not all hope is lost, though. We didn’t see big leaps from other mid-twenties players under the new regime. 27-year-old Jacob Young hit 10 home runs in 2026, doubling his career total, and 26-year-old Luis García Jr. went from a .701 OPS in 2025 to a .873 OPS in 2026.

Expect Spring Training to be important for Crews, who struggled in last season's Spring Training, which helped explain why he started in Triple-A. If he looks good, he’ll likely be given early-season opportunities to prove his worth for the future.