On Robles' speed, C. Kieboom and Difo's new position tryouts

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's tough to draw many conclusions from spring training games, all the tougher to draw conclusions from long-distance road spring training games, when only a handful of big league regulars are in attendance and they play only a few innings before giving way to minor leaguers.

So there wasn't a whole lot to read into the Nationals' 9-4 loss to the Braves on Monday afternoon. But let's pick out a few noteworthy developments, beyond Patrick Corbin's strong two-inning start, which merited its own full article immediately following the game ...

* The Nationals' two young Dominican outfielders - Victor Robles and Juan Soto - showed off their respective skills early on to give the team a 3-0 lead and offered a glimpse of their potential as a dynamic duo near the top of the lineup.

Robles got the start in center field and got a chance to lead off with both Adam Eaton and Trea Turner back in West Palm Beach. And the 21-year-old showed why he could be such a threat out of the No. 1 position.

He singled to left on the game's first pitch. He advanced to second base when Wilmer Difo walked. He stole third base standing up. And then he scored on a wild pitch.

If everyone's healthy, Robles probably isn't going to hit atop the Nationals lineup, at least not at the outset of this season. But even if he bats lower in the order, he can be a threat because of his speed.

"I mean, it's definitely going to be an asset," manager Davey Martinez said. "When he gets on base, he's going to help us. He's very smart. As you know, he loves to steal bases, and he's very aggressive on the basepaths. So the key is to get on base, and he worked some good at-bats today."

Robles scored another run in the top of the third after he drew a one-out walk. He then cruised home on Soto's two-run single to right-center. (Soto, for what it's worth, has opened the spring 2-for-5 with three RBIs.)

* Though he didn't do much at the plate (0-for-2 with a walk), Carter Kieboom got the start at second base, which was notable because it was the first time the young prospect had played anything other than shortstop as a professional (outside of the Arizona Fall League).

Kieboom is going to split his time between the two middle infield positions this spring as the Nationals prepare for his possible big league debut at some point. With Turner under club control through the 2022 season, shortstop may be locked up for a while. So the Nationals are making preparations now for Kieboom to learn the right side of the diamond.

"He's definitely going to play some short. He's more comfortable at short right now," Martinez said. "But we want to see him at second base as well. We really believe that he can play second base, but we want to get him comfortable over there. Regardless of what happens, he's going to have to play some second base as well. The more he plays over there, the better his footwork is."

* Speaking of middle infielders learning new positions, Difo is likely to going to get some action in the outfield this spring. The Nationals need a super-utility player, and Martinez believes Difo fits the profile well.

Difo has already played 33 major league innings in the outfield, so it's not completely foreign to him. But he'll get more formal work there over the next few weeks.

"He's not bad," Martinez said. "He goes out there and shags balls, and I watch him. And I told him he can do it, and he's all for it. If we're in a pinch and need to make some moves, knowing that he can play the outfield is really good."