Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee after getting hurt in Tuesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "It could've been a lot worse," Martinez said. Thomas was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and is likely to miss more than the required 10 games, but fantasy managers should keep him stashed in an IL spot for the time being after he had 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a breakout season in 2023. Martinez said the plan for now is to play Joey Gallo in right field, with infield prospect Trey Lipscomb playing multiple positions but probably a decent amount at first base. Thomas is hitting just .184 (16-for-87) in the first month of the season, but he's helped his fantasy managers with 11 stolen bases, which ranks third in MLB.

The Washington Nationals officially placed outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a left-MCL sprain and recalled infielder Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 28-year-old Thomas hit just .184 with two home runs, 10 RBI, eight walks, 11 stolen bases and six runs scored in 22 games before injuring his knee on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While he hasn't hit well in the early going, he ranks third in the league with his 11 thefts. If the Nats move Nick Senzel to the outfield, Lipscomb should see regular starts again at the hot corner in D.C. Thomas is probably going to miss more than 10 days, but he deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after clubbing 28 home runs and stealing 20 bases in 2023.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee), who is undergoing an MRI exam on his left knee on Wednesday, is considered very likely to land on the injured list, according to sources. As a result, rookie infielder Trey Lipscomb is in Washington on Wednesday in case the team puts Thomas on the IL. Lipscomb hit .224 in 14 games after his first big-league call-up but was optioned back to the minors on April 15 when Nick Senzel returned from his injury. Thomas was injured in Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers while stealing second base in the fifth inning and may have to miss at least 10 days as a result. We should know more about how long he'll be out once the results of his MRI are released. In addition to his injury, Thomas has gone just 16-for-87 (.184) at the plate this year with two home runs, but he also has 11 stolen bases for fantasy managers.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (leg) exited Tuesday's game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers with an apparent left leg injury. Thomas appeared to twist his left leg on a slide while attempting a stolen base in the fifth inning and was able to stay in the game temporarily, but he was later replaced by Eddie Rosario in right field in the seventh. Considering Thomas was able keep playing for a bit, there's optimism that he's only dealing with a minor injury. Expect the Nats to offer some clarity on his status following the contest, and Thomas should be deemed day-to-day ahead of the second game of the series with LA on Wednesday. The 28-year-old right fielder is batting a mere .184 (16-for-87) with two home runs and 10 RBI in 22 games this season, but his 11 swipes are softening the blow. It wouldn't hurt fantasy managers in deep leagues to make a speculative add on No. 2 prospect James Wood until Thomas is fully healthy.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (back), who returned to Saturday's lineup as the designated hitter, went 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and one stolen base in the 7-6 extra-inning triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 28-year-old made his presence felt after a three-game absence with back inflammation, first hitting a sacrifice fly for a first-inning RBI. Thomas stole second base in the fifth frame before slapping a two-run homer to deep left field in the seventh. The rebuilding Nats may have found a keeper in Thomas, who has now gone deep in four straight games played. The 2023 revelation is batting .285 with an .822 OPS, 24 homers, 77 RBI, 92 runs scored, and 18 swipes in 541 at-bats.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (back) is playing right field and is batting second on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and right-hander Eury Perez. Thomas was pulled from Wednesday's game early due to back tightness and also missed Thursday's contest, but he'll be back in there to start the weekend. The 28-year-old is having a career year in 2023, slashing .279/.329/.466 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 88 runs scored in 524 at-bats in his second full season in D.C. However, he struggled to close out the month of August, going just 3-for-28 (.107) with no homers, a double, a triple, no RBI, nine strikeouts, two stolen bases and three runs scored in his last eight games since Aug. 23.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (back) is not in Thursday's lineup versus the Miami Marlins. Alex Call will start in right field and bat sixth for Game 1 of the series. The 28-year-old Thomas departed from Wednesday's game with back tightness and needs at least one day to recuperate. He is currently day-to-day and Thomas' next chance to return will come during Friday's meeting in Miami. The right fielder has cooled recently, but still represents one of fantasy's biggest 2023 surprises while hitting .279 (146-for-524) with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 88 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (back) was forced to exit early during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 28-year-old was taken out of the game in the seventh inning due to back tightness, according to manager Dave Martinez. The organization is uncertain if Thomas will be in the lineup on Thursday. However, it does sounds like a day-to-day issue, so Thomas should avoid a trip to the injured list. Alex Call replaced Thomas in the outfield, so he could see more playing time if Thomas does miss time.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) is scratched from Saturday's starting lineup versus the Oakland Athletics. This comes a day after Thomas was hit by a pitch in the wrist. He was able to stay in Friday's game after the incident, but it appears he's dealing with some wrist soreness. The team will give him the day off and hope that it goes away. In the meantime, Stone Garrett will cover right field and bat sixth versus right-hander Luis Medina during Saturday's contest.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The 27-year-old singled and stole a base to eventually cross the plate for a first-inning run before popping a sacrifice fly to add another during the second frame. Thomas carried out a big fourth inning when he doubled in a run before swiping another bag. He then caused a throwing error while trying to steal third to allow him to come all the way around once more. After hitting a quiet 14-for-75 out of the All-Star break until Aug. 2, Thomas is quickly warming back up on the heels of smashing two home runs in Friday's contest. The 2023 revelation is hitting .288 with an .814 OPS, 18 homers, 62 RBI, and 14 swipes across 438 at-bats.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and left-hander Austin Gomber, starting in right field and batting in the two-hole. Thomas was forced to exit Monday's game early after he took a pitch off his left knee, but it obviously wasn't a very serious injury, as he's back in there a day later. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter has been useful in most fantasy leagues in 2023 because of his power/speed combination. He's currently slashing .293/.340/.490 with an .830 OPS, 16 home runs, 26 doubles, two triples, 54 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 67 runs scored in 429 plate appearances and 98 games. Get Thomas back into your starting fantasy lineups.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas left early on Monday after getting hit by a pitch. Thomas was hit by a Gavin Hollowell pitch in the eighth inning and was replaced in the game by pinch-runner Ildemaro Vargas. It is possible that Thomas' removal from the game was precautionary as the Nationals were down 8-1 at the time of the HBP. Look for Washington to update Thomas' status before the start of Tuesday's contest.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas ran wild over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, tallying four stolen bases. Thomas also went 3-for-4 in the contest with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI to fill up his stat sheet. The four steals represent a third of his total for the season, as he is now up to a career-high 12 swipes. Combine that with his .295/.341/.494 slash line and 16 homers, 67 runs scored, and 54 RBI and it gives you near-elite five-category production for a guy who wasn't drafted in most leagues. His underlying stats make him look like a sell-high candidate, but it wouldn't be the worst idea to just ride it out and see if he can maintain even 75% of his current production.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer during a 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The 27-year-old revelation is slashing a prolific .304/.346/.592 with seven dingers, 17 RBI, and two stolen bases across his last 125 at-bats for an extended hot streak. Thomas has established himself as the table setter of the Nationals lineup. The contact-oriented right-hander has gone hitless in consecutive games only twice all season with the last instance coming way back on April 18 and April 19. Thomas isn't much of a ceiling play in Washington's light-hitting offense, but he's certainly been a daily high-floor bet. Showing some pop with 10 extra-base knocks in his last 11 games, Thomas should be rostered in most competitive leagues if he wasn't already.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-3 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI, a run scored and a walk in the team's 8-6 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Thomas has really started to heat up in the month of May, as all six of his home runs have come this month, and he's now hitting .281 (47-for-167) on the year with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, 21 RBI, four stolen bases and 28 runs scored in 183 plate appearances over 43 games. In the month of May, he's gone 22-for-71 (.310) with two doubles, a triple, six homers, 11 RBI, two steals and 15 runs scored in 18 games played.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas is back hitting out of the leadoff spot as the Nationals take on the Colorado Rockies and left-hander Kyle Freeland on Thursday at Coors Field. The righty-swinging Thomas is seeing leadoff duties against left-handed starters this season while sliding down the lineup against righties as he's also started out of the six and seven-holes this season. Thomas has hit .289 with an .844 OPS in his career off lefties versus a .214 average and .668 OPS off same-handed pitching. However, he's just 1-for-9 with a walk across 10 trips to the plate against Freeland in his career.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas was what the team needed from the leadoff spot, going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, a double, a run, and two RBI in Monday's 6-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite reaching base three times, the 27-year-old hasn't been much of an on-base machine, producing a .246 AVG and .304 OBP. Fantasy managers would have hoped that hitting near the top of the order for most of the season would make for decent counting stats, but Thomas has just 51 runs and 46 RBI across 120 games. He's hit 15 HRs and stolen five bases this season, but it doesn't make up for the poor production in the other categories enough to be relevant in standard leagues.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas had a game to remember versus the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. He came into the game hitting .195/.255/.325 in 137 plate appearances, but put together a career performance in this one. Thomas blasted three home runs and finished with four RBI during the 8-5 victory on Friday. Possibly, it's a sign of better things to come, but fantasy managers shouldn't get too excited. It was likely just a fluke performance and he'll come back down to earth on Saturday.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas will hit leadoff for the first time this year in Saturday's game against left-hander Alex Wood and the San Francisco Giants. Cesar Hernandez led off each of the team's first 16 games this year, but he is slotting in as the team's No. 6 hitter on Saturday. Thomas hasn't gotten things going at the plate yet this year. Over 14 games, he's slashing just .190/.255/.262 with three extra-base hits (all doubles). We'll see if a move to the top spot in the order can help him turn things around.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon has been scratched from the lineup Thursday with an unspecified injury, according to Jesse Dougherty. Lane Thomas will get the start in center field and bat eighth versus Pirates right-hander J.T. Brubaker. Dougherty also reports that outfielder Donovan Casey is heading to Washington from Triple-A Rochester, so it seems likely Strange-Gordon could be heading to the injured list. Thomas has just three hits in 21 at bats so far this season and has just a .190 on-base percentage while sporting a 38% strikeout rate. He's not a recommended fantasy option at the moment.