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NEW YORK - Ryan Zimmerman is out of the Nationals' lineup today after re-aggravating the abdominal strain he sustained during spring training. Zimmerman felt it when he slid headfirst into second base during the Nationals' loss to the Mets on Saturday night, and the Nationals hope the rest today, coupled with tomorrow's off-day, will be enough to get Zimmerman back to normal.
But they'll err on the side of caution with the third baseman, general manager Mike Rizzo said; Zimmerman will be re-evaluated Tuesday, but if he's still hurting, he likely won't play.
"It's about the same concern level we've had since opening day, through spring training," Rizzo said. "He's got an ab strain, and he's been playing with it. We're going to give him two days here and see where he's at afterwards."
Zimmerman had a hit in his next at-bat after straining his abdomen, and played the rest of the game. But the headfirst slide made it worse to the point the Nationals decided it was time to sit him down.
"If playing risks making it get worse, then rest is the proven course," Rizzo said. "So far, he's fine doing most movements - swinging the bat, playing defense and running the bases. It's just certain movements, certain angles of the throws, and obviously, when he slid right on it, it made it sore."
