Lane Thomas continues to state his case to be the everyday center fielder of the Washington Nationals. He’s flashed at the plate with bat over the past two weeks. Now, Thomas is making plays with his glove.
In the fifth inning of Friday’s game against the New York Mets, Thomas tracked down a fly ball off the bat of Francisco Lindor before making an incredible sliding catch to rob him of an extra-base hit.
The Nationals acquired Thomas from the St. Louis Cardinals in a trade for Jon Lester on July 30. He started his time with the Nationals at Triple-A Rochester. But since his call-up on Aug. 15, Thomas has emerged as a potential piece to Washington’s rebuild.
Entering Friday’s game, Thomas has a .314 batting average, .407 on-base percentage and .510 slugging percentage in 15 games with the Nats. He also has five doubles, a triple and home run with seven RBI’s in 51 at-bats.
Earlier this week, the Nationals demoted the struggling Victor Robles, who was once considered the center fielder of the future, to take a more extensive look at Thomas. He hasn’t disappointed, thus far.
Thomas’ bat work has been impressive. Now, his case gets stronger with his web gem to rob Lindor.
