Robles returns to active roster, but not lineup yet

Victor Robles is back on the Nationals roster, but not back in their lineup yet.

The Nats activated Robles off the 10-day injured list this afternoon, the outfielder having proven he has fully recovered from the left hamstring strain he suffered during the season’s first week. The club optioned Alex Call to Triple-A Rochester to clear a roster spot.

Robles played in only four games before suffering his injury running the bases. He was off to a solid start, reaching base in three of his five plate appearances and stealing two bases, on the heels of a strong spring in which he hit .368 with a .455 on-base percentage.

All that progress, though, was disrupted by his injury, which knocked him out a full month. He went on a rehab assignment in Rochester last week and over the course of six games went 7-for-20 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and three walks, convincing club officials and himself he was ready to return.

“I feel great,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “My legs feel great. I have no discomfort when I’m running around.”

Robles, who missed most of the 2023 season with a more severe back injury, is not in tonight’s lineup, relegated to the bench with Jacob Young starting in center field and Eddie Rosario in right field against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes.

Manager Davey Martinez said Robles will still see regular playing time, and some of that playing time is likely to come in right field, a position he’s played some in his big league career but not since 2019.

“I’ll see what the matchups are like,” Martinez said. “Vic, before he got hurt last year, he was swinging the bat well. This year, he was swinging the bat well. So I definitely want to give him the opportunity to play. It’s not going to be a straight platoon thing. We’ll match up against some righties, play against some lefties. The biggest thing is to keep him healthy, because we’ve struggled over the last year and a half to keep him on the field. I just want to keep him healthy for a while.”

Robles got some work in right field during his rehab assignment, and he said he’s comfortable in the corner position.

“I’m very happy that they have confidence in me and my playing ability to be able to move me around,” he said. “I’ve shown them I can play different positions, so that’s obviously comforting. But I felt good out there running around. Everything’s very similar. The angles are a little different. I try to get used to them a little bit. But I felt great running around out there.”

This has always loomed as a make-or-break season for Robles, who was off to a good start last year as well before suffering his back injury in early May. With top outfield prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews looming in the minors, and Young already playing well in the majors, Robles faces an uncertain future in D.C. He’s eligible for free agency this winter and has acknowledged he’s also playing to prove to other teams he can still be a productive major leaguer.

First and foremost, though, he has to prove he can stay healthy and continue to play at the level he did prior to suffering each of his last two injuries.

“Stay focused,” he said. “Keep doing what I’ve been doing, and working the little muscles, because it seems like my injuries have been with those little muscles. So keep working hard and focusing on that, and I’ll try to help the team any way whenever they need me to help them, and hopefully make a run to the playoffs.”