WASHINGTON -- Anthony Rendon has been swinging a hot bat since he returned from the disabled list, and now his power stroke is also starting to return.
Rendon lined a solo home run into left field off the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka in the first inning on Tuesday night to give the Nationals an early 1-0 advantage. It was Rendon's third home run in the past five games.
With the Nationals' lineup a bit depleted with Adam Eaton, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Wieters on the DL, Rendon's return has served as a spark for the offense. Since being activated on May 5 after he missed nearly a month with a fractured left big toe, Rendon has reached base safely in all nine games he's played.