WASHINGTON -- Josh Bell has been making noise with the bat thanks to a turnaround month of May, yet manager Dave Martinez is lauding him for his work at first base.

“Let’s just forget about his hitting right now,” Martinez said. “His defense has been really, really good.”

Entering Friday, Bell was tied with Anthony Rizzo and Yandy Díaz for most outs above average (+3) among all Major League first basemen. His defense this season is particularly notable compared to his production over his six-year career; Bell has been at or below league average in the category every other season. Most recently, he was -3 in the shortened 2020 season and -4 in ‘19.

Martinez credited Bell for putting in extra work with bench coach Tim Bogar, starting with early mornings and late nights in Spring Training.

“For someone that everybody kept saying, ‘His defense isn’t up to par,’ [Bell’s] defense has been outstanding,” said Martinez. “He’s only going to get better, because he wants to get better.”

And as for that turnaround offensive performance this month, Bell is slashing .289/.333/.500 with an .833 OPS in May compared to .113/.200/.264 with a .464 OPS in April.

Nats reach vaccination mark
The Nationals have reached their 85 percent vaccination threshold, Martinez announced on Friday. He expects the team will be able to go mask-free while outside and is awaiting further health and safety protocols. Some anticipated changes include seating assignments on team bus and plane rides.

Martinez said he looks forward to “seeing everybody smiling and laughing.”

Clubs were informed prior to Opening Day that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to relax certain health and safety protocols contained in the 2021 Operations Manual for fully vaccinated Tier 1 Individuals and for clubs where 85 percent of their Tier 1 Individuals are fully vaccinated. As part of that memo, players and staff were again strongly encouraged to receive one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines when eligible.

Kieboom eyeing strike zone in Triple-A
Infielder Carter Kieboom is showing improved plate discipline with the Rochester Red Wings. Over the past 15 days (11 games), Kieboom is tied for most walks (11) at the Triple-A level. Last season, he drew a total of 17 walks in 33 games with the Nationals.

“We told him, he’s very good when he gets strikes and hits the ball in the strike zone -- he’s always been that way -- but yet to be aggressive in the strike zone,” Martinez said. “The fact that he’s taking walks is a good sign. For me, he’s starting to understand what the strike zone is and not going up there and just swinging just to swing.”

Martinez was encouraged by the early-season results, noting the team also emphasized taking walks to slugger Juan Soto early in his career.