From July 3 to July 8, Nationals outfielder prospect Juan Soto played five rehab games for the Gulf Coast Nationals as he recovers from an ankle injury. He has been out of the low Single-A Hagerstown lineup since May 2. A club source told me the 18-year-old's reinstatement to the Suns is not imminent and he remains on the disabled list. Soto is ranked as the No. 95 prospect in Baseball America and is slashing .323/.385/.850. Double-A Harrisburg announced the Nationals have released outfielder...

For those of you interested in gambl ... er, fantasy baseball, you're probably well aware of the depth charts that are created for the minors for dynasty leagues. But even if you're not, the Nationals have made you aware of who's the supposed next man up with their inability to dodge injuries. Adam Eaton is the latest starter to be lost for the season, and for now, the plan is to give backup Michael A. Taylor the chance to win the center field job for the third season in a row. This hasn't...

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - This morning the Rule 5 draft will commence, and there are a handful of Nationals prospects that are exposed and eligible to be drafted. Here are the stipulations to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft: "Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to...

There's a deadline this afternoon around baseball. It's not one of the major deadlines, like the trade deadline or the qualifying offer deadline. But it's nonetheless a potentially significant one when it comes to organizations keeping their best prospects from getting swooped up by another club. By 5 p.m. EST, all teams must add any players they wish to protect from being selected in the Rule 5 draft to their 40-man roster. What does that mean? A quick primer for those who aren't familiar...

I am getting more positive updates from the winter leagues on some of the Nationals' outfield prospects. Center fielder Brian Goodwin is now ranked second in team batting for Margarita in the Venezuelan Winter League. His slash line is .356/.444/.535 with a .979 OPS and seven doubles, three homers, 16 RBIs, 16 walks and only 18 strikeouts in 101 at-bats over 27 games. He has been on a tear the last 10 games, hitting .543 (19-for-35) with four doubles, two homers and a 1.000 OPS. Nationals...

Outfielder Isaac Ballou is having an outstanding season for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League. The former Marshall star has excelled in 56 games, batting .284 through August 21. The 23-year-old Ballou has 11 doubles, one triple, two homers, seven stolen bases, 32 runs and 17 RBIs in 197 at-bats. Auburn manager Gary Cathcart said the 6-foot-2, 205-lb. Ballou has really gotten his attention through the first two months of the short-season. "Most pleasant surprise in the draft...