Nationals scratch Jacob Young late due to left-hand soreness, reshuffle outfield spots vs. Pirates

The Washington Nationals made a late adjustment Saturday, scratching outfielder Jacob Young from the starting lineup ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park due to left-hand soreness. Young’s absence forced a quick reshuffling of the Nationals’ outfield and batting order shortly before the game began.

Dylan Crews moved into the center field role that Young vacated, continuing a trend of flexible lineup construction for Washington as managers try to preserve defensive value while accounting for day-to-day health issues. In the same shake-up, José Tena was inserted into the lineup, batting seventh and taking over part of the offensive structure the Nationals had built for the matchup.

Young, 26, was coming off a productive stretch earlier this week. In Washington’s 10-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in Boston, he went 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, two walks, and a run scored. That performance helped underscore why the Nationals have emphasized his impact both at and away from the plate.

The Nationals’ concern here was strictly about availability rather than a broader lineup change. According to the team’s report, it was not clear when Young first experienced the hand soreness or what caused the issue. The timing mattered because the scratch came late enough to trigger immediate positional and order changes, even though Young had been expected to start.

Defensively, Young has continued to be one of the most valuable pieces in Washington’s everyday game. The release noted that he has recorded 11 outs above average, placing him in the 99th percentile among Major League players for that measure. That defensive profile is a central reason the Nationals are careful about even minor movement-related concerns, particularly for a center-of-the-field option.

This is not the first time the Nationals have had to navigate health scares involving Young during the current season. The report said he had narrowly missed the injured list on multiple occasions, including June 21 after a crash into the wall at The Trop making a clutch catch, and May 19 after being hit by a pitch in the ribs. With the latest issue now involving the left hand, the concern shifts toward grip, swing mechanics, and throws rather than purely collision or impact factors.

For the rest of Saturday’s picture, Crews’ center-field assignment and Tena’s insertion are the immediate operational changes. Crews’ position switch also matters for the outfield’s rhythm and communication, since center field typically becomes the organizing spot for reads on fly balls and gaps. Tena’s role at the plate, batting seventh, adjusts the flow of at-bats in a lineup that the Nationals had built around Young’s presence.