3 Players Who Won't Be on Nationals Postseason Roster

As the season draws to a close, the Washington Nationals have found themselves in sole possession of the first National League Wild Card spot, and have a two-game cushion over the Chicago Cubs.

With the pitching trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin going strong for the Nationals down the stretch, it seems as though the Nats are very close to locking down their playoff spot.

With this in mind, let's take a look at three players who will not make the Nationals' postseason roster, should they continue to keep going strong and secure a spot.

3. Michael Taylor

Prior to Taylor's demotion to the minors, he had hit a poor .211 while serving as the Nationals fifth outfielder, with Gerardo Parra clearly being favored over him as the fourth outfielder. He wasn't great in his time at Double-A Harrisburg, either, as he hit just .248 with 35 runs batted in across 57 games. Due to Taylor's performance at all levels this season, it's highly unlikely that he will lock down a postseason roster spot, a surprise based on seasons past.

2. Wilmer Difo

Difo has been very unproductive in his 40 games with the Nationals this year, putting together a mediocre .236 batting average with just two home runs and seven runs batted in. The infield is pretty crowded in Washington, leaving Difo without a bench role for the playoffs. Should an injury occur, however, he will be high on the Nationals' list of replacement players.

1. Jeremy Hellickson

Hellickson hasn't seen major league action since he went down with shoulder tendinitis in mid-May. Prior to that, he had posted a rough 6.23 ERA, with a horrific 1.72 WHIP. Although he was activated on September 1, his lack of appearances on the mound makes for good reason not to add him to the postseason roster.