As if it weren’t enough that the Washington Nationals look like they could be the favorites in the National League, having already clinched the NL East crown, they might be getting their franchise player back healthy.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been on the long road back from a torn right hamstring for a while now. He had expressed hopes previously to join the Nationals and play in games before the postseason arrives, and it sounds like he will get that opportunity.
According to Mark Zuckerman, the Nationals plan to activate Zimmerman this weekend.
Sounds like Ryan Zimmerman is on his way to Miami after playing 7 innings in Viera today. Likely to be activated for tomorrow's game.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) September 19, 2014
At this point, the Nationals do not have anything to play for other than to set themselves up for success in the playoffs. That means they can shuffle their pitching around, get key players extra days of rest, and in Zimmerman’s case, give him some live at-bats so that he can shake the rust off before the postseason. That will presumably be their plan over the last week of the regular season.
In 53 games this season, Zimmerman is batting .282/.345/.456 with five home runs and 36 RBI.
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