Taylor "excited" to return only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining knee

PHILADELPHIA - When he saw Michael A. Taylor hit the ground hard making a diving catch March 14 in Fort Myers, Fla., Davey Martinez assumed it would be a long time before the Nationals outfielder was back in action again.

Little could Martinez have imagined he'd be at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon, welcoming Taylor back to the active roster only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining his left knee and hip.

"I wouldn't have thought that," Martinez said. "When I saw him fall and try to get up and fall down again, I thought that was not good. To his testament, he worked hard and he's back. It's nice to have him here with us and have him as a part of the 25-man roster."

Taylor isn't in the lineup for tonight's series opener against the Phillies, but he's most certainly available off the bench, whether as a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner or defensive replacement. That's a boon for the Nationals, who spent the season's first week without two key bench pieces in Taylor and Howie Kendrick but now have both healthy again and available to contribute.

Taylor replaces Andrew Stevenson, who was optioned to Triple-A Fresno after going 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in limited action as the Nats' fourth outfielder.

With Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Adam Eaton all off to solid starts, there's not an immediate need for Taylor to get into the lineup. But Martinez intended all along to give him starts in center field, either to give Robles or Eaton a day off, with Robles shifting to right field in the latter scenario.

Though Taylor's injury looked serious at first, he said he was encouraged when he woke up the next morning and the swelling in his knee had gone down. He was on the field performing some light baseball activities only a few days later, and when the Nationals broke camp at the end of March he was able to begin taking at-bats in minor league games.

Taylor wound up going on a four-game rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg, going 3-for-16 with a homer but eight strikeouts.

"Honestly, body-wise I've felt pretty much the same for the last 10 days," he said. "It was pretty much just playing in games. As soon as I was able to run on the field, run bases and things like that, I felt pretty confident that I was capable of playing in a game."

Taylor watched as much of the season's first eight games as he could from afar. Then he got the call and wound up taking an Uber from Harrisburg to Philadelphia to rejoin the club today.

"I'm excited," he said. "When you're away from the team, it's tough not being able to contribute and not being able to be around the guys. But everyone was really supportive, and it's nice to be back."