The Washington Nationals have decided to call up their top outfield prospect, Victor Robles. The club announced the move as official Thursday afternoon. 

The Nationals have no worries about possibly missing the playoffs and the 20-year-old Robles has never played above Double-A. So why now? 

The Nats OF is really banged up

Center fielder Adam Eaton is out for the season and has been since late April. Replacement center fielder Brian Goodwin is dealing with a groin injury and suffered a setback, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Bryce Harper making it back this season is iffy. Also, Jayson Werth said his shoulder has been bothering him and will miss a few days, per Jorge Castillo of the Post.

In the meantime, the Nationals have Howie Kendrick for left field and Michael Taylor for center. There's Alejandro de Aza on the bench and the Nationals also called up outfielder Rafael Bautista and Andrew Stevenson to provide two more options. 

Nats have plenty of time

The Nationals enter Thursday night's game with an 18-game lead over the Marlins. They have 85 wins and the Marlins have 72 losses, meaning their magic number is only six. This thing will be clinched in a matter of days. 

It makes sense to mix and match to see what they've got out there in the meantime, especially with a player the caliber of Harper questionable to return -- or at least questionable to return at full-on Bryce Harper level. On that front ...

Robles provides best upside

The Dodgers brought up Cody Bellinger and thought it was only temporary. The Red Sox brought up Rafael Devers despite some concerns that he might not be ready for the big-time. Those worked out fine. Sometimes it doesn't. It's worth a shot, though, especially given the things outlined above. 

Robles, 20, is a center fielder who hit .300/.382/.493 with 37 doubles, eight triples, 10 homers, 47 RBI, 73 runs and 27 steals between high Class A and Double-A this season. 

The Nationals clearly think very highly of him, because though they are in go-for-it mode, he was never traded despite his name constantly being bandied about as a highly-coveted prospect (he was ranked No. 8 in all of baseball by MLB.com heading into the season). 

What if he steps right in and plays like Bellinger and Devers? That only makes the Nationals that much stronger as they head to the postseason looking for their first-ever playoff series victory (and let's face it, they want far more than that). 

Under the circumstances, I love the move for the Nationals. There's no harm it in. If Robles isn't ready, he'll be back in the minors next year to work his way back up anyway. 

For now, Robles is a player to watch as we head toward the postseason.