SAN DIEGO — Entering Wednesday night’s series finale against the San Diego Padres, Michael A. Taylor was 1 for his last 22, hitting .045 over the last week. But Bryce Harper was 0 for his last 19 and had yet to take a day off this season. Against left-hander Joey Lucchesi, Nationals Manager Dave Martinez will give his struggling star a rest — and will replace him at the top of the order with Taylor

Martinez said last night that he met with Harper, after another 0 for 4 showing, and asked him if he needed a rest. He said Harper told him he didn’t. His play indicated otherwise. Fellow lefty Matt Adams also will sit Wednesday. In their absence, Martinez will move Taylor to the leadoff spot, a spot he used to try to spark a hot streak from Harper, to initial success. But Taylor’s slump has gone on longer than Harper’s had when Martinez moved him there and the turnaround required is even more substantial.

Taylor is 6 for his last 49 and hitting .192 for the season overall. The Nationals had a chance to sell high on Taylor after his strong 2017 season and dramatic playoff heroics. But they bet on the homegrown kid with Gold Glove potential. Now they need him to find his way offensively.

Taylor doesn’t have to do much offensively for the Nationals to feel he has provided them with value. As Martinez said Tuesday, Taylor will continue to play because he is an elite center fielder. Given the Nationals’ other options in the outfield, his defensive prowess buys him time to dig his way out of this slump. Taylor was a Gold Glove finalist in 2017. According to FanGraphs, Taylor is tied for the major league league among center fielders in defensive runs saved, and ranks in the upper third at that competitive position in most other metrics. The eye test, for those who don’t trust statistics made to measure defense, suggests he ranks even higher.

But if Taylor amounts to a light-hitting defensive specialist — and again, the Nationals see him as more than that — he is not without competition in their system. Andrew Stevenson is an elite defender with comparable speed. Rafael Bautista is not far behind him. Had Adam Eaton not gotten injured and top prospect Victor Robles been healthy, Taylor’s rough start might have caused some center field controversy. But Robles will not be back to push him any time soon. Taylor has time to find his way.

The Nationals always knew Taylor would strike out a lot. Originally, they wanted him to try to rectify that problem. Then, in large part due to that 2017 season, they realized he could still hit for a reasonable average and be a 20-20 candidate without eradicating the problem. Strikeouts, he showed them, did not have to ruin his offensive value.

This season, he is striking out more than 30 percent of the time, 11th-most among qualified major league regulars but still a few tenths of a percentage point lower than his strikeout rate last season. But he is making significantly less hard contact this year than last year, hitting far fewer line drives and far more ground balls. Whereas, in the past, his strikeouts came with the promise of prolific power, he has yet to rediscover that power this season.

His launch angle is far below league average; his average exit velocity is below league average; and qualitatively, he simply has not looked comfortable, called out on strikes more than he should be, arguing third strikes more often than normal. He is making more contact on pitches out of the zone than last year, and less contact on those in it. Simply put, Taylor seems to be struggling with pitch selection and is not seeing the ball as well as he did last year.

Taylor has always been streaky, so — as Martinez pointed out Tuesday — he could find his way and carry this team at any point. Given all the injuries to Nationals outfielders, Taylor will get plenty of time to find his way. But given all those injuries, the Nationals could benefit from a revival sooner than later.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (20-17)

Michael A. Taylor CF

Trea Turner SS

Anthony Rendon 3B

Ryan Zimmerman 1B

Howie Kendrick LF

Matt Wieters C

Moises Sierra RF

Wilmer Difo 2B

Gio Gonzalez P

SAN DIEGO PADRES (12-24)

Matt Szczur RF

Eric Hosmer 1B

Christian Villanueva 3B

Jose Pirela 2B

Franchy Cordero LF

Freddy Galvis SS

A.J. Ellis C

Manuel Margot CF

Joey Lucchesi P

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