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Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has missed the last two weeks with an abdominal strain, got back to baseball activities on Tuesday, playing catch and running at Nationals Park. Manager Jim Riggleman said Zimmerman did "some firm tossing" from about 60 feet, and ran at about 50 percent of his full speed.
"We're just trying to initiate back into some baseball activities and move along from there," Riggleman said. "We'll probably do more of the same the next couple days, and get him to the point where he can extend out a little further."
But Riggleman said he still doesn't have a timetable for Zimmerman's return, adding it's almost certain the third baseman will need to go on a rehab assignment.
He's hopeful it wouldn't be a long stint in the minors, pointing to Zimmerman's history of getting his swing back in rhythm quickly. The issue with the injury, though, has always been more about his defense, and the Nationals want to make sure he's completely healthy before he comes back.
"It's an area that, throughout baseball, a lot of players are dealing with it and missing significant time," Riggleman said. "We want to keep the days as short as possible on this end so it doesn't extend later to be a real long period of time where he would have to sit because he aggravated it."
