LOS ANGELES – Dylan Crews won’t be making his Dodger Stadium debut this weekend, and it’s probably killing him to have to come to grips with that fact. But the Nationals’ rookie outfielder is here with his teammates at Chavez Ravine, making his first road trip since he landed on the injured list one month ago and finally cleared to begin basic baseball activities.

Crews, out since May 21 with a strained left oblique muscle, took his first swings since suffering the injury Thursday, and the plan is for him to now slowly ramp things up in hopes of getting back on the active roster as soon as possible.

“We’re not putting a timetable on it. We’re just going by how he feels and what the trainers say,” manager Davey Martinez said. “But yesterday he was able to take some really light dry swings, which is definitely encouraging.”

Crews isn’t hitting a baseball yet, nor is he participating in defensive drills with his teammates. But he was thrilled to learn he’d be joining the Nats on this three-city, Southern California trip after being left at home in D.C. for the team’s last two road swings.

That’s a product both of his readiness to begin the kind of baseball activity the team’s coaching and training staffs want to see in person, but also a desire to keep the 22-year-old actively involved even when he’s not actively playing yet.

“We wanted to keep eyes on him. He’s starting to swing a little bit,” Martinez said. “It’s nice for him to travel. It’s a long road trip, so I just wanted him to be around, be in this environment. And we wanted to get him going, too.”

Crews was just starting to come around at the plate after a slow start to his season, batting .357 with two homers, five RBIs and three walks over his final five games before suffering the injury on a check-swing exactly one month ago. He missed the Nationals’ previous West Coast trip, which included back-to-back series wins in Seattle and Arizona, but he was on hand for the just-completed homestand that saw the team go 1-6 against the Marlins and Rockies and need James Wood’s walk-off homer in the 11th inning on Thursday to avoid matching the club record with a 12-game losing streak.

It admittedly hasn’t been easy for Crews, who has never missed significant time due to injury in his baseball life, to be stuck watching from the dugout.

“I talk to him every day. He’s a student of the game,” Martinez said. “He’s not playing, but he sits there and watches all the games when we’re at home. He’s cheering for his teammates. I can tell you right now he wants to be on the field. He’s biting at the bit. But I told him: ‘Baby steps. You’re getting ready to swing a little bit. You’ve got to make sure you come out of this healthy and ready to go.’”

* Andrew Chafin also made the trip and has begun playing catch for the first time since going on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.

The veteran left-hander is eligible to return Thursday, but he’ll need to ramp up to throwing off a mound and then potentially face live hitters before the Nationals activate him. The good news: He has been jogging in the outfield for the last week, a sign the hamstring is feeling better.

“He says he feels good, but it was a hamstring. He’s got to come off the mound, do all those little things and check all those boxes,” Martinez said. “But he’s jogging, he’s throwing. Hopefully we get him back soon.”

* Derek Law said he felt “a little rusty” but emerged healthy from his rehab debut Thursday for Double-A Harrisburg. The veteran reliever, out since the end of spring training with forearm inflammation, started the game and gave up a two-run homer during his 12-pitch top of the first.

Law should make another appearance for Harrrisburg either Saturday or Sunday, after which the club will decide his next step.