Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Daylen Lile (illness) is feeling good enough to return to the starting nine for Friday's series opener against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Lile is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth against Rays right-hander Adrian Houser. The 22-year-old will make his return to the field after missing almost a week while being under the weather. The left-handed-hitting outfielder will return to a .263/.312/.396 slash line in his first 63 MLB games with the Nats in 2025. He should be in the starting lineup daily for the rest of the season against right-handed pitchers, making him fantasy relevant in deep-mixed and NL-only leagues, primarily for his speed. Lile has produced three home runs, 12 doubles, four triples, 22 RBI, 31 runs and seven steals in 239 plate appearances.

Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile (illness) is out of the lineup against New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried on Wednesday. It'll be the Nationals' fourth game in a row without Lile, who hasn't played since Saturday because of an illness. The 22-year-old has hit a productive .313/.370/.448 with one homer, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals in 73 plate appearances in August. He could be back in the lineup when the Nationals start a series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, With Lile out again on Wednesday, the Nats will go with James Wood (left field) and Dylan Crews (right field) in the outfield corners, while Riley Adams will DH, and Drew Millas will catch.

Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Daylen Lile (illness) is still under the weather and is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's encounter on the road in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. The Nationals are going with fellow rookie Robert Hassell III in right field, and he will hit eighth against Yankees right-hander Luis Gil. In his first year in the big leagues with the Nats in 2025, Lile has held his own by hitting .263 (57-for-217) with three home runs, 22 RBI, 31 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 63 games played. The left-handed hitter probably won't return for Wednesday's series finale against lefty Max Fried, so the next chance that Lile could get to start for Washington might not come until Friday for the series opener versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Hassell is also in his rookie season and has gone 28-for-124 (.226) with two homers and 14 RBI in 42 games played.

Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile (illness) is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the New York Yankees. Nats' interim manager Miguel Cairo said Lile is sitting out this game due to an illness. The rookie outfielder is hopeful to get back in the lineup following this contest. Lile has been decent with the bat, slashing .263/.312/.396 with three home runs, 22 RBI, and seven steals in 63 games. Robert Hassell III will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth versus right-hander Cam Schlittler on Monday.

Washington Nationals outfield prospect Daylen Lile has enjoyed a recent surge at the plate. Over his last 18 games, the No. 9-ranked prospect in the D.C. system on MLB.com has posted a .292/.343/.369 slash line with two doubles, one home run, and three stolen bases. While he has yet to show much power upside in the major leagues, he has shown solid contact skills as he tallied at least one hit in a 14-game stretch earlier in July. During his first 15 games in Washington, Lile held a .152/.200/.326 slash line with just three doubles and a home run. Earlier in the season, the 22-year-old posted an impressive .337/.407/.500 slash line with seven doubles, two long balls, and six swiped bags across his first 26 games with Triple-A. Given his steady progress in the majors, he should continue to have an everyday role after the All-Star break.

The Washington Nationals announced on Monday that they recalled outfield prospect Daylen Lile from Triple-A Rochester and optioned outfielder Robert Hassell III and infielder Jose Tena to Rochester in corresponding moves. The team also designated infielder Juan Yepez for assignment. Lile, the team's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is starting in right field and batting eighth on Monday against the Colorado Rockies and rookie left-hander Carson Palmquist. The 22-year-old made his major-league debut earlier this year and went 6-for-31 (.194) with three doubles, a triple, two RBI, four runs scored an seven strikeouts in 36 trips to the plate over 11 games. He most likely will not have a consistent outfield role in D.C. while he battles for playing time with Jacob Young and Alex Call. The left-handed hitter has below-average power but has the ability to steal 20-plus bases over a full season.

The Washington Nationals optioned rookie outfielder Daylen Lile to Triple-A Rochester on Friday and activated outfielder Jacob Young (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move, according to the team. Lile, the team's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will head back to the minors for more seasoning after going 6-for-31 (.194) with three doubles, a triple, two RBI and four runs scored in his first 11 major-league contests. With some of Washington's outfielders banged up, Lile was playing nearly every day. It was good experience for the 22-year-old youngster, but he'll now return to Rochester and hope for another promotion late in the season. The former second-rounder in 2021 will return to a .361/.432/.514 slash line in 18 games played for Rochester. Lile could develop 15-homer pop in time and certainly has the speed to steal 20-plus bases.

The Washington Nationals are promoting outfield prospect Daylen Lile to the major leagues. In a corresponding move, the Nationals are placing outfielder Jacob Young (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder AC sprain. Earlier this week, the Nationals also promoted another top outfield prospect, Robert Hassell III, to the major leagues. Lile opened the 2025 season with Double-A but needed just 21 games to prove he was ready for the Triple-A level. Through his first 18 games at Triple-A Rochester, the No. 9-ranked prospect in the system has posted a strong .361/.432/.514 slash line with four doubles, one home run, and three stolen bases. Fantasy managers should monitor his playing time as he could work out a starting role with both Young and Dylan Crews (oblique) on the IL. For now, he should be rostered in deeper NL-only formats.

WashingtonNationals outfield prospect Daylen Lile was promoted to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday on the heels of a 14-game hit streak, and promptly collected his first Triple-A hit in a 1-for-4 day at the plate, extending the streak to 15 games. The formersecond-round draft pick flashed his speed, withthe hit going for a triple, and he also walked once in the contest. Before the call-up, the 22-year-old was slashing .319/.340/.505, displaying a blend of speed and power with five doubles, three triples, a pair of home runs, and six stolen bases. The Nationals don't have a need for an outfielder at the moment, and also have outfield prospect Robert Hassell III already at Triple-A, but with a strong season at the highest level of the minors, Lile and his intriguing fantasy tools could push for a late-season call-up.

Washington Nationals outfield prospect Daylen Lile went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, and two runs scored on Tuesday for Double-A Harrisburg. The former second-round draft pick is now riding a 14-game hit streak, during which time he's gone 23-for-62 (.371) with three doubles, two triples, a home run, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored, and six stolen bases. The Nats' ninth-ranked prospect likely won'tseethe majors this season, but a promotion to Triple-A is warranted with continued success. He's not on the dynasty radar at this point, but wheneverhe makes it to the big leagues, the left-handed hitter's speed could be an asset in redraft leagues, as evidenced by the 23 career triplesin the minors (17 career home runs) and two seasons with 20-plus steals.

Washington Nationals outfield prospect Daylen Lile was reassigned to minor league camp on Monday, along with infield prospects Cayden Wallace and Yohandy Morales. Lile is the highest-ranked prospect of the bunch, coming in as the Nats' No. 10 prospect, followed by Wallace at No. 11, and Morales at No. 13. None of them did much of note with the bat this spring, although none have gotten a taste of Triple-A pitching yet during their time in the minors. Each has an expected ETA of 2026 per MLB.com's Top 30 Prospects list for the Nationals, and we'll want to see them perform well this season at the highest level of the minors before we start considering them for fantasy.