The Washington Nationals are reaping the benefits of not trading Lane Thomas as Tuesday’s deadline. Friday night, the 27-year-old outfielder showed why the Nats were reluctant to part with him for any offer and may have made potential suitors regret not pursuing him harder.
Thomas hit two home runs against the Cincinnati Reds, helping the Nats rally to a 6-3 win in 10 innings on the road at the Great American Ballpark.
Trailing 3-0 in the sixth, Thomas hit a one-out solo homer to center field to get the Nationals on the board.
Then in the 10th with the Nats up 4-3 and a runner on third, Thomas drove the ball to the left field bleachers to extend Washington’s lead.
For Thomas, the two homers were his second career multi-home run game. His first occurrence was at the same ballpark on June 3, 2022. He belted three home runs against the Reds on that day.
Friday, Thomas went 3-for-5 at the plate, driving in three runs off his two homers. Thanks to another big night, Thomas is batting .333 with a 1.159 OPS and six home runs thru 14 games at the Great American Ballpark. He has not hit more home runs at a visiting stadium.
Thomas is thriving in his third season with the Nats. He leads the team with his .286 batting average, 18 home runs, and 60 RBI. With two years of arbitration remaining on his contract, the Nats had a high asking price in trade talks.
Now that nothing materialized, Thomas can focus on finishing the year with Washington.
