Nationals' Eddie Rosario: Still has manager's confidence

Rosario has remained a regular in the Nationals' lineup despite his early-season struggles, and manager Dave Martinez hasn't given up on the 32-year-old, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "It's early," Martinez said Thursday. "You've got to give him a chance, you really do. I'm not going to sit him down yet right now. He's got to go out there and play. ... I've seen him play before. This kid can hit. He can put you on his shoulders."

At the moment, Rosario is handling the strong side of a platoon in right field while Lane Thomas (knee) is injured, but he's mired in an 0-for-27 slump that has sunk his slash line on the season to .086/.133/.157. Rosario has a history of slow starts, but even his xBA and xwOBA are in the bottom one percent of qualified hitters. Once Thomas gets healthy, the Nats may not be able to afford to stay patient with Rosario, especially with top prospect James Wood also making a strong case for a promotion to the majors.