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Ryan Zimmerman missed a total of 55 games while recovering from the Grade 3 hamstring strain he suffered running to first base in a July 22nd game against the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field. With nine games left on the regular season schedule and the NL East already locked up, the Nats are getting a big bat back on the major league roster.
The Nationals announced this afternoon that the 29-year-old, '05 1st Round pick was officially reinstated from the DL as Nats' skipper Matt Williams told reporters last night he would be.
Zimmerman joined the team in Miami, Florida and was on the bench for the second game of the four-game set with the Marlins on Friday.
WIlliams said he did have a chance to speak to Zimmerman and talk about how the infielder/outfielder was doing after a few games and around 30 at bats at the Nationals' spring training facilities in nearby Viera, FL.
"I talked to him," Williams said. "He said he felt okay. He's tired. He's a little bit sore, his body is sore from playing. But he's glad to be here and he feels like he's done everything. He's running at 85% or so he said, and hasn't pushed it really past that, but that's do-able on the basepaths. So we'll see what tomorrow brings."
As for where he would play now that he's back? Williams said he wanted to get Zimmerman some work at a couple of positions.
"Right now I think that it's important for him to play some first base as we go, some left field as we go," Williams said.
Tonight, it's going to be left field as Bryce Harper gets a night off:
#Nats lineup @ #Marlins: Span CF, Rendon 3B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Zimmerman LF, Ramos C, Cabrera 2B, Zimmermann P
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 20, 2014
In 53 games and 220 plate appearances between DL stints for a fractured right thumb and the right hamstring strain, Zimmerman has put up a .282/.345/.456 line with 19 doubles and five home runs for the NL East division champs in his 10th major league campaign.
Zimmerman's back.