Ryan Zimmerman to be activated off DL, will play left field

The Washington Nationals are preparing to activate Ryan Zimmerman to return to the majors on Tuesday after rehabbing a broken thumb. Despite normally playing third base, he will begin his transition back to the team in left field.

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Monday night Zimmerman played his final game in the minors and went 2 for 4 with two singles. While running bases, he wore a padded glove to protect his injured thumb. Despite being back to full health, the glove is a precaution to prevent further injuring occurring prior to being able to make it back to the Nationals. Zimmerman finished his rehab appearance with five hits in 14 at-bats.

When asked about the transition to left field, Zimmerman stated that “Whenever you do something new, it’s a little nerve-wracking. But I feel like I can go out there and do what I need to do. I feel like I can do things to help us win. I think that’s the most important part.”

While still learning the position, Zimmerman is confident he will learn all the necessary skills to play efficiently. However he is concerned he doesn’t have enough experience as of yet.

“You have to be so much more accurate in the infield,” Zimmerman said. “The timing is different – you have usually less than four seconds to react to a ball, catch the ball, set your feet and throw the ball over 100 feet. People don’t realize how quick that happens. In the outfield, you have a lot more time. You can situate your body a little bit better. Those are all things that I’m still learning. But I can use those to my advantage.”