“We have speed on the bases but we just haven’t been able to get the speed on the bases,” Baker said. “So we hope that Ben – not to put pressure on Ben – that he’s not spring training ready. We need him to come in and hopefully be ready to play like he can play. We think we’ve given him ample time to get some ABs down there. You don’t know. You never know. Hopefully he can come in and do his thing.”

The Nationals have an 18-8 record in spite of their inconsistent offense. Revere has been out since opening day, when he hurt his right oblique on the first swing of the season. He played in five rehab games with Class AAA Syracuse, going 3 for 16, and logged a full game in center field on Wednesday.

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“He’s our igniter,” Baker said. “That’s why we brought him here as a leadoff man to start our engine. We were mixing and matching at leadoff but none have the experience or the knowledge and the track record that Ben Revere has. He’s gonna add another dimension to our team and our offense than what we’ve got going on now.”

In Revere’s absence, the Nationals have mostly leaned on Michael A. Taylor to lead off and handle center field. Taylor’s defense has been solid but he has struggled at the plate. He is hitting .185 (17 for 92) with three home runs and 30 strikeouts. Nationals leadoff hitters are last in the majors with a .181 average and a .521 OPS.

When Revere landed on the disabled list, they called up Matt den Dekker from Syracuse. He would be the logical corresponding roster move to make room for Revere. Den Dekker is hitting .200 (6 for 30) with one home run. But if he stays, the Nationals bench would be comprised of mostly left-handed hitters (Clint Robinson, Jose Lobaton and Stephen Drew). Right-handed-hitting Taylor, however, has struggled a lot compared to his strong spring training.

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“[Taylor] went from everybody crying, ‘What you gonna do with him?’ to ‘What you gonna do with him?’ on the other side,” Baker said. “Now it’s up to him and up to us to teach him while he’s not playing. Sometimes you can learn as much – if you really pay attention – when you’re not playing than from playing. You can see why this guy is doing this or this guy is not doing that.”

Baker referred to the upcoming roster move as a difficult one for the team to make.

“It’s not going to be a popular decision probably in the clubhouse or a popular decision with us or with me,” Baker said, “because I’m going to have to tell the person, whoever that person is, which is the worst part of this job. It’s still my job.”

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>>> In an unrelated note, Nationals starter Joe Ross has joined the board of directors for the D.C. Grays, a non-profit that supports baseball in inner-city and recently partnered with MLB’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program.

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Grays General Manager Antonio Scott said in a statement that Ross’s presence with the non-profit “gives us that next-level mentorship that can trickle down to our collegiate players, which in turn will trickle down to the youth we train and develop.”