Robles gets first chance to lead off, starters being eased in

The last thing anyone should do is read much into spring training lineups, certainly the lineup on Feb. 28. And yet it's impossible to look at the Nationals lineup for today's Grapefruit League opener and not begin to infer some things.

Specifically, the guys who are leading off and batting third. That would be Victor Robles and Trea Turner.

Just as he suggested last week, manager Davey Martinez is going to take a look at Robles atop his lineup, a move that would allow Turner to move down into a spot where he should have the ability to drive in more runs and maximize his production.

It's by no means a lock that this arrangement will actually be used on opening night, or in any other game during the regular season, but it's also no secret Martinez is intrigued by the possibility.

The key, of course, is how Robles handles the leadoff spot after batting at the bottom of the Nats lineup through most of his career to date. He did bat first often in the minors (when he owned a .392 on-base percentage) and he's done it 19 times in the majors and enjoyed some success (.306/.362/.518).

How does Martinez want the 23-year-old center fielder to approach these leadoff assignments in spring training?

"I don't want him to think much about anything right now," the manager responded this morning during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "I just want him to work good at-bats. As we get moving, get closer, we'll talk to him about some of the things that we view as a leadoff hitter he needs to do. But for him, it's being aggressive in the strike zone, not chasing. The biggest thing with him is he'll start chasing a lot. When he is in the strike zone, and he swings at balls in the strike zone, he hits the ball fairly well. So we want to kind of get him in a strike zone and play the game."

With Robles up top, Turner is free to move down a spot or two. Today, it's down two spots to the three-hole, with Andrew Stevenson batting second. It remains to be seen what Martinez does when Juan Soto is in the lineup - he's scheduled to make his 2021 debut Monday against the Astros - but whenever Robles leads off, the 2-3 combo will be Turner and Soto, in one order or the other.

The 4-5-6 trio of Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro, meanwhile, also appears to line up in Martinez's preferred order, certainly when the Nationals are facing a right-hander, as they are today in Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty.

Though they had no qualms about playing a bunch of lineup regulars today, the Nats are taking things slower with their rotation regulars. Erick Fedde, competing for the No. 5 job, starts today. Austin Voth, also in the mix for that job along with Joe Ross and perhaps newly acquired righty Rogelio Armenteros, will start Monday against the Astros. And with no game scheduled Tuesday, it'll be prospect Seth Romero pitching live batting practice.

That means we won't be seeing the rotation's big-name veterans (Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Jon Lester) until later in the week, at the earliest. New pitching coach Jim Hickey decided to have them throw another live BP session to build their arms up before they start a game.

"What I like, and what Hickey really likes, is being able to have these guys pitch in a controlled environment where they just focus on their mechanics, throwing strikes," Martinez said. "All these guys know who they are. These are veteran guys. Hickey's been watching them all, and he's had conversations with every one of them. As they get ready, we'll determine when is the best time to put them in a game. Which will hopefully be soon."

Max Scherzer, meanwhile, was scheduled to meet with Hickey, Martinez and the Nationals medical staff today to determine his next steps as he returns from a sprained left ankle. Scherzer has already thrown off the bullpen mound multiple times with no issues. The group must decide if he'll do that routine again or proceed to face live hitters for the first time this spring.

"But he's definitely doing a lot better and feels good," Martinez said. "So we'll keep building him up."