Washington Nationals’ Victor Robles sits with mild right hamstring injury, Michael A. Taylor starts in NLDS Game 3

With two on and no one out in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night, Victor Robles tried to get a bunt down to advance Ryan Zimmerman (who’d doubled) and Kurt Suzuki (who’d walked). Robles moved both runners up, but he tweaked his hamstring running it out, and got a visit from trainer Paul Lessard as he walked off the field.

The Nationals scored a run, going up 4-2. Michael A. Taylor took over in center field in the next half-inning.

“Yeah, he’s got a little hamstring issue,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters after the Nationals’ 4-2 win.

“They didn’t diagnose it yet. But we’re going to see how he feels in the morning. But I think that we’ll have to play it day-to-day right now.”

When the lineup was released for Game 3 tonight, Michael A. Taylor was listed as the center fielder for the Nationals, batting eighth, in front of starter Aníbal Sánchez.

Martinez was asked in his pregame press conference if the issue with Robles was serious at all.

“No,” the second-year skipper said. “He had an MRI and it’s a very, very mild strain. His right hamstring. If need be on an emergency day he’ll be available to pinch hit. As we all know how Victor plays, he wanted to play today, but I really believe that it’s best that he just, we get him treatment, and he’s going to try to ride the bike and run a little bit today and see how he feels.”

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Robles, 22, finished the regular season with a .255/.326/.419 line, 33 doubles, and 17 homers in 155 games and 617 plate appearances, over which he was worth 2.5 fWAR, and in the first three postseason games he was 2 for 8 with a double.

Taylor, 28, spent the first three months in the majors with the Nats this summer, but he was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on June 23rd and he didn’t return until rosters expanded early in September.

In eight games, and three starts down the stretch, Taylor went 4 for 10 with a double and a home run, and Martinez said today that he likes what the outfielder brings defensively.

“Yeah, for me with Michael, you really don’t lose anything in center field,” he explained.

“And he’s had a really good September, so hopefully he continues to swing the bat the way he’s been swinging it and go out there and play good defense.”