With Bryce Harper still on the disabled list because of a bone bruise in his left knee, the Washington Nationals decided to bolster their outfield by promoting the top prospect in their organization.
On Thursday, the Nationals called up Victor Robles. A 20-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder originally from the Dominican Republic, he is considered to be the top prospect in the Nationals’ farm system. MLB.com has Robles ranked as the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball.
Robles started this season playing in High-A ball for the Potomac Nationals. In 77 games, he batted .289 with 7 home runs and 33 RBIs. Back in July, he was promoted to Double-A. He had a good run with the Harrisburg Senators, batting .324 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 37 games. Instead of having him go Triple-A, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo decided to promote Robles to the Major Leagues straight from Double-A.
Considering the fact that Harper is still injured and is not set to return anytime soon, promoting Robles was a smart idea. The Nationals need a spark in the outfield right now, and he might be just the guy to provide one.
Harper is not the only Nationals outfielder on the disabled list right now. Brian Goodwin is still recovering from a groin injury, and he just had a setback. Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor and Howie Kendrick have mainly been the three starting outfielders for Washington lately. The Nationals depth is very thin beyond these players however.
It is unclear right now how many opportunities Robles will get during the remainder of the regular season to prove himself. Nationals manager Dusty Baker will most likely ease him into the lineup. What Baker does not want to do is put a lot of pressure on a very young player right away.
Whatever his role ends up being, it should be exciting to watch Robles play. With the Nationals closing in on their second consecutive NL East title, he is going to get the chance to experience postseason baseball. Maybe Robles will be the player that can help the Nationals finally get over their National League Division Series woes.
