Washington hosts Pittsburgh in an early rubber match at Nationals Park, with Washington reshuffling the lineup as Dylan Crews sits. Robert Hassell moves to right, Jacob Young to center, Daylen Lile in left, and James Wood shifts to DH while Riley Adams handles catching and Nasim Nunez stays at second. Cade Cavalli starts for the Nats. Pittsburgh counters with a lefty-friendly lineup featuring Oneil Cruz, Ji Hwan Bae, Spencer Horwitz, Joey Bart catching, and Mike Burrows on the mound. The Nats seek a September spark against aPirates club facing similar odds, hoping to prove they can beat teams in this tier.

The tactical shifts create fantasy intrigue: expect Hassell and Young to climb the batting order, Lile and Wood to contribute from spots that boost run potential, and Cavalli to deliver mixed results against a left-handed heavy Pirates lineup. For Pittsburgh, left-handed combinations against Cavalli will test Washington’s defense and opportunistic baserunning. This game is a chance for both teams to showcase resilience in a tight early-season schedule.

Christian Franklin deserves a real MLB look for the Nationals as outfield production remains spotty. Since arriving in the Michael Soroka trade, the 25-year-old has posted a .296 average and an .840 OPS, showing a well-rounded hit tool and plate discipline that could translate quickly at the big league level. Moving Dylan Crews to center right now would unlock Franklin’s natural corner fit, while Hassell III and Jacob Young have not provided the needed impact. The end-of-season phase should be used to evaluate Leiter-like upside, and Franklin offers a credible test to determine if he belongs in the MLB long term.

With Franklin in the lineup, Crews could slide to his natural center field position, which the article argues is a better long-term alignment for the club. Hassell and Young have carried the lineup but haven’t produced, making a Franklin call-up a low-risk, high-reward move that could reshape the outfield root-up for 2026 and beyond.

Nathaniel Lowe was designated for assignment by Washington to clear room for Dylan Crews, a trade deadline drama that reshapes two rosters. Lowe slashed .216/.292/.373 with a career-worst -0.7 WAR and subpar defense at first, triggering the Nationals to DFA him to make space for Crews after his 60-day IL stint. Texas moved on earlier, shipping Lowe to shed salary and partly finance Joc Pederson’s two-year, $37 million deal, and replacing him with Jake Burger in a cost-controlled first-base plan.

Texas’ gains center on Burger’s value versus Lowe’s, at a fraction of the cost, even as Burger carries injury questions. Robert Garcia’s rise as a late-season high-leverage option and Pederson’s bat in the DH/OF mix underscore Texas’ push for offense, while Crews’ return from the injured list adds high-upside depth for Washington. The saga also features Lowe’s potential waiver outcomes and the Mariners/Diamondbacks backdrop as a reminder that one DFA can ripple across a pennant race landscape.

The Phillies will deploy a six-man rotation for at least one turn as Aaron Nola returns from a three-month IL stint to start Sunday against Washington. The plan emphasizes added rest for Wheeler, Sánchez, and Suárez during a dense 24-in-25 stretch, while still keeping a bullpen built to handle short bursts. The rotation shakeup also aims to curb wear on the staff by spreading workload and enabling tandem starts or rotation skips in the near term.

Atlanta’s edge is showing signs of life as the season looks bleak. Michael Harris II is in the midst of a second consecutive strong month, blasting the ball hard and elevating it more often after mechanical tweaks to his swing. The tradeoff is a still-poor walk rate, but the overall contact and lift could unlock a serious Braves run of production in 2026 and beyond, especially with Harris under contract for years and the outfield depth finally stabilized with Jurickson Profar contributing on offense.

Matt Olson reached a milestone, tying Dale Murphy for consecutive games played and climbing to 13th all-time in durability. That reliability in the heart of Atlanta’s order matters in fantasy— Olson consistently drives in runs and supplies a steady baseline across categories, particularly in OBP and RBI when the surrounding lineup is clicking.

Profar has shown offensive spark lately, helping fill in the middle-infield voids while Nick Allen offers elite defense at short and second. The Braves front office has room to maneuver depth as they balance spending against their long-term payroll, aiming to turn a challenging offseason into a smarter, steadier 2026 core.

The Mets series produced a high-scoring back-and-forth, highlighted by Harris’s grand slam in Flushing and a showcase of both teams’ power. In broader MLB notes, Hader’s shoulder strain lands him on the IL, a wrinkle that could shift late-inning dynamics in Houston while Dylan Crews returns to the Nationals lineup off the 60-day IL, potentially reshaping Washington’s offense as he builds toward an impactful rookie season. Kang Baek Ho’s pursuit of MLB opportunities and Crews’ return against Philadelphia add intrigue to the surrounding NL East narratives.