Nationals' Carter Kieboom: Inside track on third base job

Kieboom is the favorite to be the Nationals' starting third baseman, though he'll have to earn his opportunities, according to manager Dave Martinez, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Kieboom came with plenty of promise as a prospect and is still just 23 years old, but he's yet to come close to delivering on that promise so far. In 44 games over the past two seasons, he's hitting just .181/.309/.232, a line that wouldn't play anywhere and certainly not at an important offensive position like third base. The Nationals hope his talent will finally shine through this time around, but they presumably want to get back to their winning ways following a poor showing in 2020 and won't have much patience with him if his struggles remain significant at the start of the upcoming season.