Robles goes on IL with hamstring strain, Young comes up from Rochester

Victor Robles’ encouraging start to the season came to an abrupt halt Wednesday night when the Nationals center fielder strained his left hamstring running the bases, leading to his official placement today on the 10-day injured list.

Fellow outfielder Jacob Young was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Robles’ roster spot.

There was no immediate guess on a timetable for Robles to be out, but the strain is significant enough that club officials didn’t really consider keeping him on the active roster and hoping he’d be ready to return within days.

“It stinks about Vic,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He worked really hard to get back. Hopefully we can get him back soon, but it’s going to take him some time.”

It’s a frustrating development for Robles, who missed most of last season with a back injury that proved far more severe than initially believed. The 26-year-old was back healthy this spring and looked like he was finally starting to perform the way the Nats have long hoped he would, drawing three walks in his first five plate appearances after slashing .368/.455/.526 during spring training.

“Obviously it saddens me, especially because I put so much effort into keeping my body physically fit,” Robles said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “But a lot of times it’s out of our control, out of our hands. All I can do is strengthen it as best as possible, get ready and come back as soon as I can.”

Though he wasn’t playing every day, Robles did start back-to-back games in center field to begin this series against the Pirates, and was a late-inning defensive replacement last weekend in Cincinnati. He was running from first to third base on CJ Abrams’ second-inning single Wednesday night when he pulled up lame and grabbed the back of his left leg. After a brief chat with Martinez, he walked off the field and departed the game. An MRI today confirmed the hamstring strain.

“Especially with him, because his legs mean so much to him,” Martinez said. “Even yesterday when I saw him out there and he was kind of grimacing a little bit, he still said: ‘I can go.’ No, we’re not going to do that.”

Young joins the Nationals only a week into the season, and after playing in only three games for Rochester, which has had three straight games postponed due to rain and snow in Western New York. Worried about the possibility of flight delays, the 24-year-old opted to drive with his wife, Caroline, this morning. The couple left Rochester at 4 a.m. and arrived in D.C. around 10 a.m. Two hours later, he was at Nationals Park, preparing to start in center field.

“She was nice enough to drive, so I could get some more sleep,” Young said. “I’m well-rested and ready to go. … I got a lot of sleep, so I’m doing great. She’s hopefully taking a nap in the hotel room.”

Having made his major league debut late last season after bursting up the organizational depth chart from Single-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg to Rochester to Washington, Young feels more comfortable with his surroundings this time around. He had a good spring, batting .304 with five RBIs and four stolen bases but didn’t make the Opening Day roster.

“I knew there were going to be tough decisions coming at that point,” he said. “It’s just knowing to stay ready, and whenever you get your chance, come back up here and help this team win games. So many things happen during a season. You knew something was going to happen. You just prepare yourself to stay ready.”