Nationals' skipper Matt Williams and Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmermann were both positive upon receiving the results of the MRI on the '07 2nd Round pick's right bicep last week. Zimmermann was pulled from his final first-half start when he experienced pain in his arm, but the diagnosis of a strain was seen as a positive by the manager and the 28-year-old starter.
"'Given his history, yeah, that’s a big relief for us,'" Williams explained to reporters including NatsInsider.com's Mark Zuckerman . "'The way he reacted last night, we didn’t think there was an issue with the elbow or the shoulder. But we had to make sure.'"
Zimmermann said even before the MRI that he wasn't too concerned, and as he explained it, the plan was to rest over the All-Star Break instead of attending the Midsummer Classic, after he was named to the NL roster for the second straight season, and resume throwing once the team reconvened, which they did yesterday in the nation's capital.
In an interview this morning, Williams explained the plan for Zimmermann going forward and said that he was fairly sure that the right-hander could avoid a DL stint.
"He's going to be kind of back end of the rotation," Williams told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.'s the Sports Junkies.
"Talked to him last night, he played some catch last night and stated that he felt good. He's scheduled for a bullpen either today or tomorrow and he'll be toward the back end of the five guys as we come out of the break.
"But all indications are he'll be just fine, so he'll wrap it up a little bit today and tomorrow and then look to his next start. So he'll either go no.4 for us or no.5 for us coming out of the Break and pitch in Colorado for his first outing after the Break. So I think he'll be just fine [barring] some kind of setback in the next couple of days."
MLB.com's Bill Ladson too spoke to a source who said Zimmermann should avoid the DL and if all goes as planned face the Rockies when the Nationals start a three-game set in Coors Field on Monday night.