Escobar is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mets due to a 103-degree fever, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

It's an unfortunate day for Escobar to be suffering from an illness, as the Nationals will be without three key guys in their batting order with Ryan Zimmerman (oblique) and Michael A. Tayler (knee) also both sidelined.

Escobar went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Mets.

Escobar has been hitting at a torrid pace, posting multi-hit performances in six of his last eight games. The 32-year-old has enjoyed a renaissance season at the plate, albeit one boosted by a .352 BABIP.

Escobar reached base four times in the Nationals' 15-1 victory over the Braves on Thursday. He singled three times, walked once, and drove in three runs in the win.

Escobar missed the Nationals' final three games of August with a hand issue, but he hasn't missed a beat since returning. He's recorded eight hits in his first four games back -- all base knocks -- to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Fantasy owners should continue to deploy him for batting average protection, but don't expect an abundance production in any of the other counting stats categories.

Escobar (hand) will return to the lineup Monday against the Cardinals, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports.

Escobar missed each of the three previous games because of a hand contusion, but remained in a day-to-day state. It appears the hand has returned close enough to normal, so he should be consistently in the lineup moving forward.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is back in the lineup for Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals after missing the last three games with a hand injury, according to the Washington Post.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is back in the lineup for Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals after missing the last three games with a hand injury, according to the Washington Post. Escobar sustained a hand contusion when he was hit by a pitch last week.

Escobar (hand) remains out of the lineup as the Nationals play the Marlins on Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington reports.

Anthony Rendon will continue covering third base while Danny Espinosa slides into second. Escobar's x-rays came back negative after getting his hand hit by a pitch, so he's simply day-to-day.

Escobar (hand) remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Marlins, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

X-rays were negative after he was hit on the hand by an Andrew Cashner pitch Thursday, Escobar's eighth HBP of the season, but he will miss a second straight start Saturday. Anthony Rendon will once again man third base with Danny Espinosa at the keystone against right-hander Tom Koehler.

Escobar (hand) is out of the lineup Friday against the Marlins, Jacob Emert of MLB.com reports.

Escobar's hand contusion was the result of a hit by pitch that occurred in Thursday's contest, and he will miss Friday's game as a result. Anthony Rendon will receive the start at third base in his place, while Trea Turner will make his first major league start Friday at second base. Thankfully, the X-rays for Escobar came back negative, however, so he may not be out of the lineup much longer.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is not in the lineup Friday against the Miami Marlins because of a hand injury, according to MLB.com.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is not in the lineup Friday against the Miami Marlins because of a hand injury, according to MLB.com. Escobar suffered a hand contusion after getting hit by a pitch Thursday.

Escobar has been diagnosed with a right hand contusion after X-rays on the area came back negative, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. He is considered day-to-day.

Escobar left Thursday's game after taking an Andrew Cashner offering off the hand. Wrist and hand issues have been seemingly constant for Escobar this season, and Thursday's HBP could easily put him on the shelf for a game or two. Danny Espinosa is a likely candidate to fill in at third base should Escobar miss some time.

Escobar left Thursday's game against the Padres early after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington reports.

The initial injury looked painful, but Escobar was still able to convince the Washington trainers to let him run the bases. This is Escobar's fifth hand or wrist injury in 2015, which is a scary trend for a 32-year-old that needs his bat to justify playing him at third base. Danny Espinosa entered the game to take Escobar's place in the lineup, moving Anthony Rendon over to third base.

Escobar (neck) is back in the lineup Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN reports.

Escobar hyperextended his neck after colliding with a wall Friday, and the injury kept him out of both Saturday and Sunday's contests. After an off day Monday, Escobar is back at his usual third base spot, and he'll bat fifth against San Diego's James Shields.

Escobar (neck) is out of Sunday's lineup for a second straight game.

Escobar exited Friday's game after a collision with a wall and sat out Saturday's game. Manager Matt Williams said he was day to day, so his return is fairly up in the air. The DL shouldn't be too likely, but it might be best to wait until Escobar sees an appearance or two off the bench before expecting him to return to the lineup.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is not in the lineup Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a neck injury, according to the team's official website.

Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar is not in the lineup Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a neck injury, according to the team's official website. Escobar left Friday's game after colliding with the wall by third base and did not play Saturday.

Escobar (neck) is out of the lineup Saturday.

After hyperextending his neck Friday it's not surprising to see him out of the lineup. Considering the Nationals now have Danny Espinosa (Saturday's starter) and Trea Turner available there is no need to rush Escobar back.

Washington Nationals shortstop Yunel Escobar will not start Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers after hyperextending his neck Friday, according to the team's official website.

Washington Nationals shortstop Yunel Escobar will not start Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers after hyperextending his neck Friday night, according to the team's official website. Escobar was removed from the game after sustaining the injury in the first inning when he collided with the wall and a fan while attempting to catch a fly ball that dropped on the warning track. Manager Matt Williams said after the game that Escobar;s neck was merely sore and not seriously injured. "He ran into a fan trying to catch that ball. As he went to reach for it, he kinda leaned over with his upper body," Wiliams told ESPN. "The fence caught him at the waste and hyperextended his neck a little bit. So he's a little sore. We'll see how he is tomorrow. For now, he's day to day." Danny Espinosa will start at shortstop Saturday.

Escobar suffered a hyperextension of his neck in his collision with a third-base wall and is day-to-day, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington reports.

Losing Escobar and .305 average bat is rough for the Nationals lineup, which figures to see Anthony Rendon slide over to third and Danny Espinosa or recent call-up Trea Turner cover second base until Escobar returns.

Escobar exited Friday's game with an undisclosed injury after colliding with the wall along the third base line, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Mid Atlantic reports.

Escobar promptly left the game to be tended to by trainers following the collision. Anthony Rendon will slide over to third base and Danny Espinosa will take over at second base following Escobar's departure. The team should provide an update on Escobar's status later on Friday evening.

Escobar homered, his ninth, as part of a 3-for-4 game with four runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's blowout win over the Rockies.

Escobar set new season highs in both runs scored and RBI. His batting line is up to .305/.358/.421 as Escobar snapped out of a 2-for-20 streak in a big way. Escobar's last multi-hit game had come on August 11 against the Dodgers.

Escobar went 1-for-4 Thursday with a solo shot, his eighth home run of the season.

As expected he's cooled off in the second half, hitting .263 in 95 at-bats since the All-Star break, but he's also hit half of his home runs on the season during that stretch as well. Escobar should remain a lineup fixture down the stretch for the Nationals as they fight for a spot in the postseason.