Nationals' Jake Alu: On bench, could lose playing time

Alu is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Alu will hit the bench after he had started each of the Nationals' last 14 games at second base or in left field, slashing .216/.273/.216 over that stretch. Given his lack of productivity, Alu could fade into more a utility role moving forward with September call-ups Luis Garcia and Travis Blankenhorn having seemingly emerged as the Nationals' preferred option at second base and in left field, respectively.