Espinosa was a late addition to Wednesday's starting lineup.

EDGE Analysis

With Michael Taylor scratched, Bryce Harper was moved to center field, Jayson Werth was moved to right, and Espinosa was penciled in to left field. It marks just Espinosa's second career start, and fourth career appearance, in the outfield. After a strong first half, Espinosa is batting just .222/.268/.356 since the All-Star break.

Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa left Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to cramps in both calves, according to the Washington Post. Espinosa was not removed until the ninth inning in favor of Emmanuel Burris, and is questionable to play Sunday.

Espinosa hit well Monday, going 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run. Espinosa has gotten hot the last few days, collecting five hits in his last three games. The utility man has proven to be a useful piece for the injury-ravaged Nationals this year, hitting .262 with nine home runs and 25 RBI.

Espinosa is out of the lineup against the Braves on Wednesday. Having played in every game since May 23, Espinosa will start the night in the dugout, though he may be available to pinch hit. Espinosa has 11 hits over his last seven games.

Espinosa will make his first career start at first base Saturday, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports. Not only is it Espinosa's first start at first base in the majors, it's his first appearance at first at any level as a professional. Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore have both seen time at the position as well since Ryan Zimmerman (foot) hit the DL, and manager Matt Williams may opt for some sort of three-headed rotation until Zimmerman makes it back.

Espinosa went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Wednesday's road win against the Yankees. He did quite a lot of damage as the No. 9 hitter. It was just the second time all year that Espinosa's had three hits in a game (he went 4-for-5 on April 29), but he's in the midst of a strong campaign, providing solid middle-infield power. There's been talk of Espinosa seeing time in left field, but he started at second Wednesday, with Anthony Rendon at third and Yunel Escobar serving as the DH.

Espinosa could see some starts in left field going forward, the Washington Post's James Wagner reports. Manager Matt Williams said he was impressed with the throws Espinosa has made from left field since being an emergency fill-in for Denard Span in Sunday's game. Considering Espinosa is one of the team's hottest eight bats at the moment, this makes sense with Span, Jayson Werth, Nate McLouth and Reed Johnson all banged up. It could not come at a better time for Espinosa's owners, as Anthony Rendon's return from the DL has cut into his playing time in the infield.

Espinosa entered Sunday's game in the eighth inning after Denard Span was forced to exit due to back spasms, and played left field for the first time in his career, the Washington Post reports. Tyler Moore was already playing first base and Clint Robinson had been used as a pinch-hitter, so Espinosa was simply Nats manager Matt Williams' outfielder of last resort. Still, in leagues with very lax position eligibility, Espinosa may have picked up a little extra value.

Espinosa got the start at second base Friday and went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, three RBI and his seventh home run of the season. Out of nowhere, Espinosa's having the best year of his career at the plate, slashing .253/.355/.452 with a vastly improved 20:37 BB:K ratio in 46 games. Yunel Escobar's minor wrist injury could keep him in the starting lineup for a few more days, but with Anthony Rendon finally off the DL, at-bats could be hard to come by for Espinosa over the summer despite his improvement.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs. Espinosa will take a seat Wednesday following an 0-for-6 stretch at the plate including four strikeouts in the last two games. Dan Uggla will start in his place, batting seventh for the Nationals.