The Nationals are most definitely limping to the finish line. A bunch of players are battling nagging injuries, some too nagging to allow them to play.
Interim manager Jim Riggleman said this morning that it’s possible reliever Sean Burnett and shortstop Cristian Guzman will be shut down for the rest of the season. Guzman has a “tender” right shoulder that affects his throwing, and though he can continue to serve as a pinch hitter, he may not play the field any more. Burnett, meanwhile, is still feeling the effects of a comebacker that caught his left thumb more than a month ago. He’s been able to pitch sparingly since then, but Riggleman said the “bone contusion” that has developed hasn’t healed enough. It doesn’t require surgery, but it does require rest.
SEE RELATED:
Meanwhile, Ryan Zimmerman is banged up himself, dealing with an unspecified leg issue. Zim talked down any serious injury today, and I would fully expect him back in the lineup tomorrow. But as Riggleman put it: “He could use a day, so we’re going to give it to him.”
