Notes: Lots ahead for Robles; Rogers' status

ATLANTA -- Nationals manager Dave Martinez has a reminder when it comes to Victor Robles. It’s something that might be easy to forget, given how long Robles has been on the radar of the organization and of Nats fans.

Robles is 24.

Two and a half years ago, Robles was a top-five prospect in all of baseball. A little under two years ago, he was making plays and getting some key hits in Washington’s run to World Series glory. This past spring, he broke camp as the team’s leadoff hitter and everyday center fielder.

Now he’s at Triple-A Rochester after three months of struggles. And believe it or not, he’s the youngest player on the Red Wings' active roster. There’s a lot more ahead of Robles in baseball than behind him.

“He’s young and he’s definitely still in our future,” Martinez said. “Kid’s only [24] years old. So he’s still definitely in our future. We need to get some consistency out of him.”

Robles started slowly at Triple-A, but he stole two bases on Saturday and then homered and singled on Sunday. The point, though, is that the results are secondary whether they’re good or bad. Washington is looking for Robles to refine his game in all facets, because the organization knows full well what Robles is capable of if he’s right.

“I just want him to continue to work on his whole game,” Martinez said. “Everything. Leading off. Taking his walks. Putting the ball in play hard. Working good at-bats. Swinging at balls in the strike zone. Getting behind baseballs in the outfield. Knowing where to throw the ball when he gets it, whether it’s to hold a guy on first base, whether it’s to try to throw somebody out at home. He needs to work on all these things. He’s got a great attitude. He’s working hard, and hopefully he gets better.”

Rogers to start
It seems left-hander Josh Rogers has earned another start. Rogers, whose spot start Saturday was his first Major League game in more than two years, impressed the Nationals with his performance and poise in 5 2/3 strong innings against the Mets.

The club has yet to announce when Rogers’ next start will be, but Martinez indicated there will be one.

“We’re gonna try and incorporate him in the starting rotation after these couple days [in Atlanta],” Martinez said. “We’ll see if we can get him in there. I have to talk to [pitching coach Jim] Hickey today. We’ll sit down and get a game plan for him.”

The next potential opening is Friday night in Pittsburgh. Sean Nolin and Erick Fedde are scheduled to start the next two games in Atlanta.