Third baseman is out minimum of two weeks
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will miss at least two weeks after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday thanks to a strained abdominal muscle, according to a baseball source.
Zimmerman, 26, fought that same injury during spring training and aggravated the condition while sliding into second base during the third inning of an 8-4 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday night at Citi Field. He remained in that game but was not able to play Sunday in the series finale.
Because the move was not yet official, there was no corresponding replacement on the 25-man roster. Outfielder Roger Bernadina was one of the final cuts in spring training but has been on personal leave the past four days to deal with a family matter. He was expected to return to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday night.
| UP NEXT |
| Phillies at Nationals |
| When » 7:05 p.m. |
| Where » Nationals Park |
| TV » MASN2 |
| Radio » 106.7 FM |
| You can expect plenty of Phillies fans in attendance at Nationals Park on Tuesday; there always are. They will get to voice their opinion on former Philadelphia outfielder Jayson Werth, who signed as a free agent with the Nationals in December. Werth is 7-for-35 (.200 batting average) with three doubles and a home run through nine games. |
Zimmerman’s absence — he can’t return until April 25 at the earliest, and abdominal injuries are notoriously finicky — leaves Washington without its No. 3 hitter and one of the game’s top defensive third baseman. Reserve Alex Cora took his place Sunday, and veteran Jerry Hairston is a possibility, too, as a utility infielder. Syracuse infielder Brian Bixler is another option. Meanwhile, outfielder Jayson Werth dropped to the No. 3 spot in the batting order Sunday and is expected to stay at that spot until Zimmerman returns. Werth had been batting second through the first eight games of the season.
Zimmerman also missed time during spring training with an unrelated groin strain. He was in visible pain after that slide into second against the Mets, remaining on his hands and knees until team trainer Lee Kuntz came out to check on him.
Zimmerman was off to a strong start. He is 10-for-28 at the plate with a triple and a home run. He has also drawn seven walks and struck out just five times. Zimmerman is batting .357 with four RBI in eight games. The Nats (4-5) took two of three games from the Mets over the weekend and begin a three-game series at Nationals Park on Tuesday night against the four-time National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies (7-2).
