Michael Taylor was kept out of the Nationals’ lineup Friday night, not because his swollen right knee was preventing him from playing, but because manager Matt Williams had been looking to give the young center fielder a day off and felt the time was right.
With the Nationals scheduled to face a pair of Marlins left-handers — Justin Nicolino and Brad Hand — the rest of the weekend, Williams wanted to make sure Taylor got a day off now, giving him a chance to return for those more-favorable matchups.
“He’s played a lot,” Williams said. “We’ll just give him a day today and then [he’ll face] a couple of lefties the next two days.