Martinez sticking with Thomas in CF for Nats

When Lane Thomas was given the opportunity for increased playing time, he ran with it -- in every sense of the word.

Thomas has reached base safely in 12 of his last 19 plate appearances in his last four games, good for a .632 on-base percentage during that stretch. And with that, he earned his fourth consecutive start in center field on Wednesday night against the Marlins at loanDepot park.

Thomas initially got the nod when Victor Robles was sidelined when he felt under the weather this past weekend. While Robles is on the mend, manager Dave Martinez has stuck with Thomas in the starting lineup. Robles entered Tuesday’s game in the eighth inning, and Thomas shifted to left.

“We’ll get Victor in there -- either today he’ll play again coming off the bench, and maybe start him tomorrow,” Martinez said. “But Lane’s playing well, and I want to see him play.”

Martinez has lauded Thomas for being “a student of the game.” In his first seven contests with the Nats since being acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for Jon Lester at the Trade Deadline, Thomas slashed .526/.640/.737 with 10 hits in 19 at-bats, two doubles, three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base.

Asked if Thomas will be tabbed as the everyday center fielder, Martinez replied, “Not exactly. We’ll see. I looked at it, based a lot of it on matchups. I think Lane matches up against this kid [Marlins prospect Edward Cabrera] today, and I want to play him and give him an opportunity to play. He’s earned the right to play. He’s playing well. Eventually, I’ve got to get Victor back in there. I want Victor to play. He’s a big part of our future, so he’ll get back in there.”

Martinez describes Robles as an “electric player” with the potential to win a Gold Glove. In his fifth season with the Nationals, Robles is slashing .207/.314/.302 with 63 hits, 21 doubles (team-high), one triple, two homers, 19 RBIs, 36 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 103 games. Martinez has encouraged Robles to ignore the statistics and instead focus on defense, baserunning, at-bats and just having fun.

“If anybody has shown that guy confidence, it’s this guy right here,” Martinez said with a laugh. “I run him out there every day and tell him every day how good he is and how good he can be. We’ve just got to keep working. I love the kid, I really do. And he’s going to be really good -- I believe that. I’m going to run him back out there. He understands that.

“And like I told him: Lane’s going to play today, but be ready. And he’ll be back out there again soon. Moving forward, we need Victor. This guy, for me, could be a game-changer.”

Adon promoted
As Nationals prospects Cade Cavalli and Seth Romero were promoted to Triple-A Rochester this week, fellow pitcher Joan Adon also made a jump.

Adon, the Nationals’ No. 26 prospect per MLB Pipeline, moved up from High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg. The 23-year-old right-hander was named High-A East Pitcher of the Week after throwing his first career shutout on Aug. 17.

In 17 starts with the Blue Rocks this season, Adon was 6-4 with a 4.97 ERA over 87 innings.

For more on the Nats’ top prospects, check out the latest on the home run-bashing Keibert Ruiz (No. 1) and Brady House (No. 4).