MLB.com's Bill Ladson (@washingnats) just reported on Twitter that the abdominal strain which kept Ryan Zimmerman out of the lineup on Sunday in the Nats game against the Mets, will also send him to the 15-Day DL though the Nationals hadn't made an official announcement on the move as of yet. No word on who will replace the Nats' 26-year-old Face of the Franchise on the roster yet either.
Zimmerman first had issues with an abdominal strain this Spring, but returned to action after some time off only to reaggravate the injury sliding into second base Saturday night in New York. An (unrelated) rib muscle issue ended Zimmerman's 2010 campaign a few weeks before the season ended last September, but Zimmerman said he was completely healed from that injury a few weeks after the season ended. The abdominal strain bothering him now was originally suffered early in Camp, and the third baseman also had issues with a groin injury which cost him time this Spring. Zimmerman told reporters Sunday (as quoted in MLB.com's Mr. Ladson's article entitled, "Abdominal strain holds Zimmerman out of lineup", that this time it was worse than it was during the Spring, and he reportedly hesitated to guess if the injury would land him on the DL as we now know it will:
"'It feels bad enough not to play today,' Zimmerman said. 'It's worse than it was. It's not terrible.'"
Alex Cora and Jerry Hairston are likely candidates to take over at third in Zimmerman's absence, and there was talk this Spring of Michael Morse potentially seeing time at third. The official announcement from the team is expected tomorrow before the Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the first of a three-game series in D.C.