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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