The Home for Washington Nationals Game Talk

As the dust settles from the whirlwind of the trade deadline, contending teams are hopeful the new faces joining their clubhouses are going to help push them towards postseason success. While the Washington Nationals share those feelings as they welcome Brandon Kintzler, closer from the Minnesota Twins, who joins Howie Kendrick, Sean Doolittle, and Ryan Madson as the new guys acquired before the non-waiver deadline expired, they are also getting ready for a boost from some familiar names as well. Michael Taylor, Jayson Werth, and Trea Turner have all been on the disabled list for weeks, if not longer, and are approaching a time when they will hopefully be able to rejoin the team.

Some @PNats42 baseball with @Taylor_Michael3 DHing. pic.twitter.com/Q77qeCwv5e

— David Mitolo (@dave_mitolo) July 31, 2017

Michael A. Taylor took a significant step towards returning, as he completed his first day of a rehab assignment Monday night with the Potomac Nationals. Placed on the DL on July 6 for a right strained oblique, Taylor said he originally got hurt while playing in Miami in the middle of June. In the lineup as the designated hitter, the Nats centerfielder went 0-2 with a strikeout from the lead-off spot as the DH where he saw just 5 pitches over his two plate appearances.

“It went by quick,” Michael Taylor said about his two at-bats last night. “I feel good — body feels good. It’s great to get back out on the field and get in the swing of things.”

Taylor is unsure when he will be rejoining the club. “That’s not up to me. I just come in and get my at bats and get back into playing shape,” saying that he hopes to back soon. He worked hard at keeping himself in shape while he’s been on the DL.

“I did a lot of baserunning towards the end,” Taylor said. “Before that, just biked, kind of lower impact things initially. Once we ramped things up, we increased sprints on the field and stuff like that.” Continue reading →