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Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth was held out of the lineup against the Miami Marlins on Thursday after suffering a hamstring injury Wednesday night. However, he has been cleared to return.

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Werth Active vs. Twins

Friday, April 22

The Nationals announced Werth was in the starting lineup against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Werth Hitting Stride After Shaky Start

Werth started the season with one hit in his first 16 at-bats across five games. He went a more reasonable 7-for-27 with two home runs in the eight contests prior to the injury.

Getting him back on track is one of the biggest keys to the Nationals’ season. He’s smashed 200 career home runs and reached the 20-homer plateau five times in his career, but he’s coming off an injury-plagued 2015 season that saw him finish with just 12 long balls.

The health concerns don’t come as a surprise anymore, though. He’s appeared in more than 140 games just twice in his previous five seasons in Washington. He plays the game hard, and that tends to take a collective toll on his body during the course of a year.

It makes sense for the Nationals to play it safe by sitting Werth for a game, as exacerbating the injury could have led to a lengthier issue for the outfielder.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth left Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch. He was out of the lineup Saturday.

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Werth Out of Saturday’s Lineup

Saturday, May 16

Werth was not in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Padres, according to James Wagner of the Washington Post.

According to William Ladson of MLB.com, “Werth is not expected to play the next two games. He hopes the swelling will go down in order to have an MRI on his left wrist.”

Nationals on MASN noted Friday that Werth left the game after he was hit on the wrist with a pitch. The Nationals later noted that he’d be re-evaluated Saturday after X-rays came back negative.

It is far too early in the season to put too much weight on individual games, but the Nationals are battling with the New York Mets for first place in the National League East. Losing Werth for an extended amount of time, even this early in the season, would be a difficult blow to Washington’s chances at reaching the postseason in a year it has World Series aspirations.

Werth was hitting .208 with two home runs and 12 RBI entering play Friday, but he is a former All-Star and an important cog in the middle of the Nationals lineup alongside Bryce Harper. He is a better player than the early numbers indicate.

Dan Kolko of MASN and MLB Network noted that the injury was even more worrisome because Werth has dealt with wrist problems in the past:

Tyler Moore came in for Werth and would likely be asked to play a more significant role in the lineup if Werth is out for an extended amount of time. 

Moore doesn’t boast the power that Werth does in the heart of the order, but he is a 28-year-old veteran who hit as many as 10 home runs in a season (2012). If nothing else, he and Michael Taylor can keep the Nationals afloat until Werth returns.

Taylor already has four doubles, three home runs and a triple this season and brings solid speed to the table (three stolen bases in 23 games entering play Friday).   

Washington has a lethal starting pitching rotation and depth across the board and is as well-suited as any team in the league to deal with a critical injury.

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The Washington Nationals checked off all of their boxes this offseason—fortifying the infield and amplifying the rotation—and now, with spring training upon us, we get our first look at the double take-inducing product the Nats will send out this summer.

Washington has eight everyday field players and five starting pitchers who don’t have to worry about fighting for playing time. All that’s left to decide on that front is the order of the lineup and the rotation, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for compelling position battles. 

This preview is a chance to get familiar with the Nationals who will make the biggest contribution to a potential World Series run, their likely backups and fringe players who may be needed in case of emergency this season.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth may not be available when the regular season begins after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. 

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Werth Undergoes Successful Surgery

Friday, Jan. 9

The Nationals announced an update on Werth:

Werth to Miss 2-3 Months After Surgery

Thursday, Jan. 8

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Werth is having arthroscopic surgery that is expected to take between two to three months of rehab:

Rosenthal also noted that the shoulder being operated on is one that Werth had issues with during the 2014 season:

The Nationals open the 2015 season on April 6 against the Mets. If Werth’s recovery takes two months, he could be on track to be in the lineup for that game since it would give him around four weeks of spring training. 

However, if Werth’s recovery is on the long side, he could start the season on the disabled list to keep getting work in extended spring training. That would be a blow to Washington’s lineup, as the 35-year-old led the team with a .394 on-base percentage and tied for second with a .455 slugging percentage. 

Fortunately for the Nationals, if Werth does have to miss time, the starting rotation has the depth to make up for the lack of offensive production. Keeping Bryce Harper healthy will also go a long way to adding a different dynamic to this lineup. 

Werth has battled injuries throughout his career. Last year was the first time since 2011 that he played in more than 130 games. His advanced age isn’t going to make him more durable, so expect the Nationals to proceed with caution. 

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth was sentenced to 10 days in jail Friday stemming from a reckless driving charge.

According to Julie Carey of NBCWashington.com, the former All-Star’s license has also been suspended for nearly six months:

Per Surae Chinn of WUSA 9, Werth was on trial for driving 50 mph over the speed limit in Northern Virginia this past August:

According to Tom Jackman of The Washington Post, the arresting officer revealed Werth’s apparent reasoning for speeding:

While Werth is currently in line to spend 10 days behind bars, he will appeal the decision, per Jackman:

The 35-year-old Werth has spent the past four seasons with the Nats, and he has been among their most consistent offensive producers, as he is averaging a better-than .300 batting average, 20 home runs and 82 RBI over the last two campaigns.

It remains to be seen when Werth’s sentence will be served should it hold up, but he and the Nationals organization would obviously like for it to occur at a time that won’t interfere with the upcoming 2015 season.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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The Washington Nationals are surging and will enter September in contention for a playoff spot. Entering the final day of August, the Nationals are 16-10 in the month, which has given them a reason to play meaningful baseball in September.

The pieces of the puzzle have been coming together for Washington. Perhaps they were not able to handle the early season hype that surrounded the team, but, as for now, they have a chance for redemption.

Going forward however, it is imperative that they have some of their most important pieces go far and beyond what they are capable of. If they do this, and get a little bit of luck, the Nats might once again be playing in October.

Let’s take a look at the keys to the Nationals’ success going forward.

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The Washington Nationals are watching the season fall apart right before their eyes.

In the latest incident for a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations, Jayson Werth and Gio Gonzalez had to be separated after Gonzalez failed to cover first for an inning-ending double play.

It’s just one in a long list of things that have gone wrong for the Nationals this year.

The frustrations likely stem from the fact that the Nationals sit at 57-60 and 14 games out in the NL East.

Then, there’s this:

It appears Gonzalez could have been unhappy about Werth lackadaisically getting to the ball on a first-inning double, while Werth was unhappy about Gonzalez not covering first.

Regardless, both players made mistakes in the first inning but wanted to focus on their teammate’s mistake. 

Twitter also had a reaction:

Everything has come to a head.

Will players start jumping down each other’s throats when a mistake is made? Where’s the leadership?

Players like Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche need to take this team by the horns and restore order to the clubhouse. The only real sign of leadership coming this year has been courtesy of Bryce Harper, who told Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com that the team needed to show some heart.

But Harper, who is only 20, shouldn’t be responsible for assuming the role of a veteran. That type of influence needs to come from guys who have the experience to back it up.

That lack of leadership is why the Nationals have struggled in 2013 and why incidents like this are happening.

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The Washington Nationals are chasing the Atlanta Braves at the top of the National League East, but it looks like they’ll have to continue their climb for the next couple of weeks without starting outfielder Jayson Werth. 

Nationals beat writer Dan Kolko reported on Twitter that Werth is likely headed to the disabled list soon with a hamstring issue that has bugged him for the majority of the month of May:

Werth hasn’t played since May 2, when he left Washington’s game against Atlanta after five innings with hamstring tightness. 

Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak helped confirm the news (via Twitter) and had a look at some of the prospects the Nats might use to fill Werth‘s spot while he fully recovers from the leg ailment on the DL:

An initial MRI scan proved to be negative earlier in the week (h/t Washington Post), but the news on Werth on Friday did not give team doctors enough to believe he would be ready to return to Davey Johnson’s lineup in the next week or so. 

On the season, Werth is hitting .260 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 27 games. 

After signing a massive seven-year, $126 million contract in the winter of 2010 (h/t Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports), Werth was expected to help the Nationals start contending again in the NL East.

Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg have done more to accomplish that feat than the pricey Werth, but the 33-year-old slugger still has a knack for flair—including hitting a walk-off home run to help the Nationals win Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS. 

A career .267 hitter with 149 career home runs, Werth is the kind of veteran presence who has helped these Nationals crawl out of the basement and into the national conversation on a weekly basis. He’s had some health concerns in parts of three seasons in D.C., though, forcing the Nats to monitor his health more than some would like. 

His latest setback won’t keep the Nationals from staying the course in the early part of the season, and hopefully this trip to the DL will help Werth get fully healthy before returning to his post in right field for good. 

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With concern centering around Stephen Strasburg following Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Braves, the offense also may not have come out unscathed. Right fielder Jayson Werth, the team’s second-leading home run hitter and run producer, fouled a ball off his ankle and aggravated his hamstring.

Near the end of the game, Werth felt cramping in the seventh inning while racing to catch a fly ball and make a throw home. During his eighth inning at-bat against reliever Eric O’Flaherty, Werth fouled a ball off his left ankle.

He fell to the ground, rolled around and got up gingerly. Nationals‘ trainer Lee Kuntz and Davey Johnson came out to check on him. He finished the at-bat but was replaced the next inning in right field by Roger Bernadina.

Via Dan Kolko of MASN Sports:

The ankle was a little swollen after the game, Werth said. The hamstring, while it bugged the veteran outfielder, doesn’t seem to be a major concern, yet. “I’ll be fine, it’s not like a strain or anything,” he said. “Just a cramp. Those things happen. Sometimes they happen and you guys never hear about them. The ankle probably (makes) the situation worse.”

Two teammates have dealt with hamstring issues over recent weeks, Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos. Zimmerman’s hamstring strain, which landed him on the 15-day disabled list, began as hamstring cramping.

Ramos was reinstated from the DL on Monday, backing up Kurt Suzuki in the loss to the Braves.

The Nationals organization is certainly hoping Werth‘s fate won’t be similar to Zimmerman’s. With the offense currently dealing with inconsistencies, they can’t afford to lose Werth‘s bat in the lineup. Especially with Ryan Zimmerman expected to return this Friday, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Werth is due to test things out Tuesday before determining whether he’ll need any time off. 

With the additional scare to Stephen Strasburg on Monday night, who is currently dealing with forearm stiffness following his start against the Braves, the Nationals fan base will now hold their breath until both Werth and Strasburg are in the clear health wise.

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Frustrations seem to be mounting in Washington.

But one day after Davey Johnson’s alleged tirade against general manager Mike Rizzo, veteran outfielder Jayson Werth and Johnson himself decided to take shots at former Nationals manager, Jim Riggleman.

Riggleman stepped down as manager of the Nationals after 75 games last season, even though the team had a respectable 38-37 record. The reason for his departure was over a contractual dispute with Rizzo.

John McLaren was the interim manager for just three games. Johnson was named to the position after McLaren, and he lead the team to an 80-81 record. It would have been the first winning record for the franchise since the team moved from Montreal prior to the 2005 season.

Johnson, who has clearly taken the team to new heights this season, has the complete support of Werth. Werth had this to say about the differences between Riggleman and his current manager:

“Between last year and this year, it’s night and day. Just the whole atmosphere in the clubhouse. You have an iconic manager that really knows how to handle this team. If we still had a guy like Riggleman as the manager, I don’t think the team is where it’s at.”

He elaborated even further:

“You have a guy [in Johnson] that is confident in himself and in his players. That alone can go a long way. … Being a big league player for so long, being a big league manager for so long, Davey has a real good feel [for the game].”

Riggleman’s offensive decisions were always questioned, but opinions were mixed on his decision to leave the team. This season, however, the Nationals offensive production has increased greatly.

Much of that can be pinned to breakout seasons from Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa, but the philosophy of Johnson can not go overlooked.

Regarding Riggleman’s offensive strategy, Johnson took a subtle swing (pun intended):

“To a man, we got a little too much concerned about hitting the ball the other way,” Johnson said. “I think the regime before liked everybody to go the other way. We really couldn’t handle fastballs (inside). We didn’t hit the ball where it was pitched. We have the talent to hit the ball where it was pitched, but we were a little defensive. … We had the book on us — ‘Pound them in with hard stuff’ — and we weren’t able to do much.”

It’s great to know that the players are supporting Johnson, but taking swings at Riggleman seems a little uncalled for. There were no actions to spark such comments, but there will almost surely be repercussions on the part of Riggleman.

We’ll just wait and see how this situation plays out.

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