SARASOTA, Fla. - So much for another slow day. Yesterday was pretty dead, but there have been nuggets of news today. Let's start with

VIERA, Fla. - Outfielder Jayson Werth took Tuesday off from workouts after reporting to Space Coast Stadium with muscle spasms in his back. "His back was hurting. ... He didn't work out," manager Davey Johnson said. The Nationals have escaped serious injuries thus far through spring training, and Werth's back spasms are the first problem substantial enough to cause a player to miss drills. "It's something I'm not taking any chances with," Johnson said. "I know he worked out a lot in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alfredo Simon and Brian Matusz will start the split-squad exhibition openers on March 5. Simon will face the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte and Matusz will face the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. "Somebody's got to be first," manager Buck Showalter said. "That's probably 80 percent of it." Also, pitching coach Rick Adair clarified left-hander Zach Britton's throwing schedule. Britton will throw bullpen sessions on Friday and Monday. Britton threw off flat...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have signed former Severna Park High pitcher Josh Banks to a minor league contract. Banks will be assigned to the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park, but he could come to the Ed Smith Stadium complex at a later date. Banks said the Yankees and Dodgers also were interested. More to come.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Jason Berken said he left hamstring feels "a lot better" after receiving more treatment today and running on the water treadmill. Berken said he might play catch Wednesday, depending how his leg feels when he wakes up. "Every day it's getting better. Hopefully, it will be more of the same tomorrow," he said. "This is the fifth day rehabbing it and every day it's significantly better." Meanwhile, Zach Britton threw off flat ground again today. He'll take...

A source with the Nationals has confirmed left-hander Sammy Solis has been shut down and is in California to meet with Dr. Lewis Yocum, who is examining his injured elbow. The team is awaiting the diagnosis of what likely would be season-ending Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery for the talented No. 6 prospect in the Nationals' system. Solis felt elbow discomfort during his playing time in the Arizona Fall League and offseason rest did not improve his condition. The University of San...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette just confirmed that former Severna Park High pitcher Josh Banks, currently a free agent, is working out at the Twin Lakes Park complex. Banks, who is here for a tryout, is represented by former major league outfielder Gary Sheffield. Yes, Sheffield is an agent, and he just rolled out of camp in a cream-colored Bentley. Banks, 29, was a second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003. He last pitched in the majors with the...

VIERA, Fla. - If players are frozen like statues, posed in awkward positions while rapid-fire shutters whir, it must be photo day. To hear Nationals tell it, this is one of the most dreaded days of spring training, when full uniforms are donned and players and coaches run the gauntlet of photographers snapping pictures for baseball cards, promotional campaigns and other purposes approved by Major League Baseball. Photo day at Space Coast Stadium, they say, makes a two-hour clubhouse meeting to...

VIERA, Fla. - Michael Morse got in touch with his inner Bubba on Monday night, accompanying three teammates to the Daytona 500, which was run about 70 miles north in Daytona Beach, Fla. It was the first NASCAR Sprint Cup experience for Morse, and won't be the last. "It was awesome, it was a great experience," said Morse. "First one ever. I never knew how much they worked - the pit crew, the drivers, the owners, the spotters. It's just constant non-stop chaos." A friend of general...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jim Johnson threw his second bullpen session this morning, the latest progression from lower-back discomfort that no longer seems to be an issue with the Orioles' reliever. Johnson is scheduled to throw off a mound again on Friday, Sunday and March 7. He'll throw live batting practice for the first time on March 10. Yes, the Orioles are being extremely cautious with Johnson. Zach Britton (shoulder) will repeat Sunday's routine of long-tossing from 60, 90 and 120 feet,...