Nationals plan to recall former top prospect Dylan Crews

The Nationals are expected to recall former top prospect Dylan Crews from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, a source confirmed to The Banner.

​Crews was optioned to Triple-A Rochester during spring training, a shock due to his stature in the organization but not a total surprise given his immense struggles. He hit .103 with a .309 OPS in the spring. The outfielder, who was a consensus top-10 prospect in all of baseball the past two seasons, needed the time to reset away from the high-pressure environment of the majors.

​At Triple-A Rochester, Crews batted .258 with a .777 OPS in 41 games. In early May, he earned Rochester Red Wings Homestand Player of the Week honors after belting two homers and posting a 1.276 OPS. The organization has been working with Crews, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, on his ability to pull the ball in the air and his swing decisions at the plate.

​“I think [playing in the minors] has been really good for him in the sense of, he can just focus on himself right now,” assistant general manager Devin Pearson said in May. “When you’re up here, it’s about winning games, and when you’re down there, it’s about becoming the best version of yourself to help us win games.”

Crews has been in the public eye since his time on a national championship squad at LSU, and the pressure only intensified after signing the second-highest draft bonus in MLB history.

​He hasn’t dominated the minors in the way that usually seen from top picks, but under the previous front office led by Mike Rizzo, he was promoted rapidly, perhaps to his detriment. In 2024, he posted a .792 OPS between Double-A Harrisburg and Rochester and was called up to the majors in August.

​But stardom, so far, hasn’t followed Crews in his big league career. He posted a .634 OPS across 116 major league games between 2024 and 2025, with 13 homers.

​Crews, 24, still remains a big part of Washington’s future under the stewardship of a new regime headed by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.

​With his athleticism and impressive bat-to-ball skills, there’s still a world in which Crews taps into his talent and produces in another go-around in the majors.

The new front office’s approach to player development has started paying dividends.

​Shortstop prospect Seaver King, the No. 10 overall pick in 2024, was promoted to Triple-A Rochester on Monday after struggling last season at Double-A Harrisburg. Third baseman Brady House, another former first-round pick, has been given the leeway to grow and develop through his struggles at the major league level, and has shown signs of progress with a .733 OPS in May.

​There’s also a lot less pressure on Crews. He’s joining a Nationals team that has seen its offense carry the club for stretches. James Wood and CJ Abrams are producing at an All-Star level, and Daylen Lile and Luis Garcia Jr. are finding their strides at the plate.