Dylan Crews debut: Five things to know about upstart Nationals as another top prospect arrives

The 22-year-old Crews will be activated on Monday

By R.J. Anderson Aug 23, 2024 at 4:03 pm ET• 7 min read

The Washington Nationals may not be in contention for a playoff berth (they entered Friday 10 1/2 games back of the NL's third wild card spot), but they're giving their fans reason to stay tuned the rest of the way. That's because the Nationals are expected to promote outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 amateur draft, to the majors on Monday for his big-league debut against the New York Yankees.

Crews, 22, hit .277/.352/.459 over his first 134 minor-league games. He'll play in one more, serving as the DH for Washington's Triple-A affiliate on Friday night, before heading off to join the big-league club. (He won't be activated until Monday.) Crews will slot onto a Nationals team that is starting to round into shape. As we explained elsewhere, a strong offseason could catapult the Nationals into the playoff picture.

Of course, there's still a month of regular season baseball to be played before teams can turn their attention toward their winter plans. It stands to reason that the Nationals are about to become a more popular MLB.TV choice across the country, with fans wanting to get their first prolonged exposure to Crews (among others). With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports wanted to provide a guide of sorts to the Nationals' core, breaking down five things worth knowing about Washington's roster ahead of Crews' debut.

Let's get to it.

1. Exciting outfield in place

Crews and James Wood, the gem of the Juan Soto trade with the Padres, entered the season ranked as CBS Sports' Nos. 5 and 6 best prospects in the minors. They're both potential middle-of-the-order sluggers who should lock down the corner-outfield spots for years to come provided that they develop as desired. (And Wood, we'll note, has hit .289/.379/.458 over his first 45 big-league games.)