Revere looks ready, but Nats will wait til Friday to activate him

CHICAGO - Ben Revere joined the Nationals at Wrigley Field today, put on his uniform and participated fully in all pregame drills before the opener of a big, four-game series against the Cubs.

But he didn't suit up for the game itself and remains on the disabled list for another day, a decision the club made to remain cautious with their returning leadoff man and center fielder.

Given the fact Revere hasn't played in a big league game since straining his right oblique muscle 31 days ago, and given a forecast that includes temperatures dropping into the 40s during tonight's game, the Nationals preferred to give the 28-year-old a full workout day before activating him off the DL.

"I wanted to see that first," manager Dusty Baker said. "And also, I didn't want to bring him back tonight. It's kind of cool out there, being a night game, even though he's been in Syracuse. We just wanted to wait. And how I am, I'd rather wait an extra day. I've seen too many guys say I'm ready, and then they come back and then they do it again. So we're just trying to make sure he hopefully doesn't injure himself again for the rest of the year."

Revere appeared in five rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse, going 3-for-16 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base. He played the full nine innings in center field once, on Tuesday.

Though the Nationals haven't formally decided anything yet, Revere appears ready to come off the DL and play Friday afternoon.

"We're going to wait and try to make an evaluation tomorrow, see if he's sore, see how he came out of this," Baker said. "But right now, it looks like he looks pretty good. He looks very good."