Ryan Zimmerman took batting practice on the field today for the first time since late May. The good news is that Zim (who has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder) was hitting the ball pretty solid, driving it to the gaps. The not-as-great news is that he didn't say he wasn't in any pain, only that his shoulder felt better than it did back before he went on the DL.

"I felt like I hit the ball well, had some carry on the ball," Zimmerman said. "The big thing is, for me, to be able to be productive. I don't want to be a singles hitter. We've got plenty of guys who can do that. If I can't drive the ball and hit for power, I'm not going to play."

So in other words, Zimmerman isn't completely ruling out season-ending surgery. That's not to say he's going to be shut down again. He's making pretty good progress. And there's still time before a decision has to be made. He'll keep taking BP this week, then possibly go on a rehab assignment next week during the All-Star break.

Stay tuned.

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