Return of key players could impact lineup (Nats lose 4-0)

ATLANTA - The Nationals outfield received a boost today with Brian Goodwin's return from the disabled list, and another boost is likely coming next week when Adam Eaton expects to return from his ankle surgery. All of which leaves Davey Martinez facing some questions about how he intends to divvy up playing time among, in theory, five outfielders with only three positions to fill.

Goodwin was activated off the DL this afternoon, the injured left wrist that sidelined him more than seven weeks ago finally healed. Andrew Stevenson was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to open up a roster spot for him.

When Goodwin hurt himself diving for a ball in left field April 11, he didn't expect to miss significant time. But his injury, which was classified by the Nationals at the time as a bruised wrist, turned out to be more significant: a bone bruise and "a couple ligaments" that were sprained, according to Goodwin.

"All the work we were putting in and all the time, we didn't expect it to take as long as it did," he said. "But unfortunately to get it to where I could play comfortably, it did take longer than expected."

After playing in four rehab games for Double-A Harrisburg, Goodwin flew down to Atlanta to join the Nationals and was thrown right into tonight's lineup. He's starting in center fielder, with Michael A. Taylor getting a rare day off.

Martinez cautioned against reading much into this decision, saying Goodwin was a good matchup against Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. (He's 6-for-10 with two homers in his career against the right-hander.) Martinez also wanted to give Taylor, who has started 51 of the team's 54 full games so far this season, a chance to get a much-needed day off.

What, though, happens once Eaton (who is batting leadoff and playing center field in Harrisburg tonight and is eligible to come off the DL in one week) returns? If 19-year-old Juan Soto stays in the big leagues, Taylor could find himself the odd man out.

"We are going to have an influx of guys," Martinez said. "We've got to figure out how we're going to work that out. But for right now, it's just a day off for (Taylor). He's going to be right back out there tomorrow."

Despite Taylor's struggles at the plate - he enters tonight's game batting .204 with a .629 OPS and 65 strikeouts in 210 plate appearances - Martinez reiterated that the 27-year-old's defensive prowess - he's tied for third among all MLB center fielders with six defensive runs saved - will keep him in the lineup.

"For me, Michael's the center fielder," the manager said. "He saves us a lot of runs out there. I've always said I look at him as a Gold Glover. And he's swinging the bat better."

Martinez does hope to give several of his regulars more days off now that the roster is getting healthier. That includes Trea Turner, who has started all but one game so far this season. An opportunity could come early next week if Daniel Murphy is activated off the DL to make his season debut, freeing up Wilmer Difo to make spot starts at shortstop.

Murphy is in the lineup again tonight at Harrisburg, his fifth rehab game with the Senators, and he's scheduled to remain there through the weekend. Martinez said he'll be re-evaluated Monday, and the club could decide to activate him in time for Tuesday's home game against the Rays.

Goodwin, who has spent much of the last month rehabbing alongside Murphy, believes the veteran second baseman is on the verge of a return.

"I think he feels great at the plate, phenomenal at the plate," Goodwin said. "He was killing those guys down there. He looks good, man. He's been working his butt off. Don't be surprised when you see him back here soon."

Ryan Zimmerman, meanwhile, continues to hit and work out with the big league club during this road trip. The veteran first baseman, out since May 12 with a strained oblique, will be re-evaluated after the team returns home Monday and could begin a rehab assignment after that.

Update: We've got a pitchers' duel here in Atlanta tonight. Stephen Strasburg and Mike Foltynewicz are going toe-to-toe, and neither has budged so far. Through six innings, this is a scoreless game. The Braves have four hits, all singles. The Nats have one hit, Bryce Harper's first-inning single. There have been zero walks. There have been zero serious scoring threats. Someone is going to have to break through eventually, but so far it hasn't happened.

Update II: Someone did finally break through: The Braves. They pushed across the night's first run with two singles and an error by Matt Adams in the bottom of the seventh. With runners on the corners, Strasburg got Johan Camargo to hit a chopper to first. But the charging Adams, who may have looked up toward the plate before he secured the ball, couldn't make the play and everybody was safe. And then came the really big blow: a three-run homer by Dansby Swanson off a 1-2 curveball from Strasburg. All of a sudden, the Nats trail 4-0 and are in trouble, down to their final six outs.

Update III: And that's the ballgame. That seventh inning proved the entire difference in a 4-0 loss, one in which the Nats were held to two hits by Foltynewicz, who went the distance. They've dropped two in a row to Atlanta and have turned a 1/2-game lead into a 1 1/2-game deficit in 48 hours. They'll be back at it Saturday at 4:10 p.m., trying to turn this series around.