VIERA, Fla. - The days of the robotic throwing motion are over. No longer will Ryan Zimmerman need a seemingly 12-step process to get the ball from his glove to the first baseman. And boy, are Zimmerman and those around him happy about it. Zimmerman had arthroscopic surgery on the AC joint in his right shoulder early this offseason, a procedure that should allow him to return to his natural throwing motion and make his awkward, rigid tosses thing of the past. The Nationals third baseman...

SARASOTA, Fla. - At various points during today's workout, Brian Roberts joked with teammates, joked with reporters, looked like a guy who was having more fun than anyone else. He's the longest-tenured Oriole, but he's feeling like a kid again. Roberts, 35, is full-go at spring training, which included today's batting practice session. No concussion symptoms, no pain in his hip, no restrictions following sports hernia surgery in December. "Feels nice to be one of the guys and start off...

VIERA, Fla. - Rafael Soriano has obtained his visa and is expected to be at Nationals camp in the next day or two, according to a team source. The deadline for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training was Tuesday, but Soriano was unable to arrive on time due to an issue with his visa. A native of the Dominican Republic, Soriano should be here shortly and will get with manager Davey Johnson and pitching coach Steve McCatty to discuss how he'll be used early in camp. The Nationals...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The pitchers have finished their bullpen sessions and batting practice is winding down. Another workout is almost in the books. Brian Roberts took BP today in the same group as Nolan Reimold, Chris Davis and Nick Markakis. No need to wonder if Markakis is OK following thumb surgery in September. Same swing. And the ball is jumping off his bat. Zach Britton was impressive during his side session. He's a completely different pitcher from the one who reported to camp last...

The Nationals were able to sign center fielder Denard Span to be their leadoff hitter and complete their 2013 lineup. One player who got some time with the big club late in 2012 and could also someday fill that role for the Nationals is Eury Perez. The Dominican continued to play well in winter ball, as high Single-A Potomac Nationals manager Brian Daubach said here. Perez did get a call-up late last season during the Nationals' clinching month. With the Nationals, Perez played in 13 games,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Stop me if you've heard this one: Reliever Luis Ayala says he will decide tomorrow whether to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Ayala was expected to announce his intentions this morning, but he's going to wait one more day. Ayala still hasn't thrown a bullpen session in spring training because of his workload in the Caribbean Series. The Orioles would prefer to bring him along slowly in camp - and have him stay in camp. Ayala said he isn't sure when he...

VIERA, Fla. - Assuming Mother Nature doesn't play a factor, we should have plenty going on around Nationals camp today. Pitchers and catchers will take to the fields again this morning, with the hurlers who did not take part in bullpen sessions yesterday doing so today. We'll also see a host of guys trickle in throughout the morning and afternoon, as today is the report date for all position players. While three members of the Nationals' rotation got in a bullpen session yesterday, Jordan...

Spring training is here, and baseball is back! MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko is in Viera, Fla., keeping you posted with the latest news surrounding the Nationals. Keep checking his blog, and, for minute-by-minute updates, give him a follow on Twitter. Pitcher Gio Gonzalez spoke to reporters Tuesday, addressing the offseason news that linked him to the Miami-area Biogenesis clinic. The hurler announced that he felt he would be cleared, and he also spent time talking about his decision to play...

Baseball's back. Spring training officially started Tuesday with pitchers and catchers reporting to Sarasota. With almost all players reported to camp, both coaches and the media have started to get their first looks at the roster. Nolan Reimold is healthy and working on regaining full strength. The outfielder is coming off last year's neck injury and surgery, which ended his season. Also, Nick Markakis is back from thumb surgery and pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada is long-tossing. His first bullpen...

For a few seasons, he was the only Bundy in the Orioles organization. But last summer, he watched his younger brother Dylan blaze a trail through the O's minor league system while his own career was going in another direction, eventually hitting brick wall. The Orioles drafted Bobby Bundy in the eighth round out of Sperry High in Oklahoma in June 2008. He worked his way to Single-A Frederick, where he had a breakout season in 2011. But a year later, trying to show his stuff at Double-A Bowie,...