Notes on Nats' cuts plus today's lineup

VIERA, Fla. - I swung by Space Coast Stadium quickly before leaving for Tampa hoping to bump into Chien-Ming Wang in the locker room - not too forcefully, of course - but no such luck. Wang's injured hamstring was getting attention from the Nationals' training staff, so we'll have to wait until talking with manager Davey Johnson before getting any news on Wang's status. Left fielder Michael Morse (lat strain) and catcher Wilson Ramos (foot) are both on the trip to Tampa, indicating that both guys are starting to recover from their respective injuries. Morse isn't scheduled to start and wasn't listed among the Nats' available bench players today, but the fact that he's on the trip at all is a good sign. Ramos, who has missed the last couple days after injuring his foot while landing awkwardly on first base, is set to DH today. Here's the Nats' scheduled lineup for today against CC Sabathia: Ian Desmond SS Steve Lombardozzi 3B Mark DeRosa 1B Wilson Ramos DH Jesus Flores C Jason Michaels LF Brett Carroll CF Bryce Harper RF Andres Blanco 2B Gio Gonzalez P I passed along word of the Nationals' four cuts yesterday, but wanted to add a few notes on those moves this morning. It was by no means a surprise to see right-handed pitcher Yunesky Maya optioned to Triple-A Syracuse given the makeup of the Nats' rotation, but the move serves as a reminder of how disappointing he's been since signing a four-year, $6 million contract in 2010. Maya was expected to find a home on the Nats' staff, but that just hasn't happened. Now he'll head back down to Syracuse and try and get on track. Outfielder Eury Perez was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg, but he made a major impression during his time in camp. Perez's speed and defensive ability caught the eyes of the Nationals' brass, and if he is able to put up a strong year, could convince the powers that be that their center fielder of the future can be found within their organization, after all. Righties Jeff Fulchino (four scoreless innings, four hits, three strikeouts) and Waldis Joaquin (three innings, one run, three hits, three strikeouts) both had a solid spring, but were reassigned to minor league camp.



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