The Washington Nationals got off to a hot start this season and proved that they have contention on their mind now rather than later. However, the Nationals have been plagued by a bevy of injuries early. Even with their disabled list seemingly growing by the day, Washington’s general manager Mike Rizzo told Jayson Stark of ESPN that he’s not looking outside the organization for help.
What was lost in Bryce Harper’s promotion and major league debut this weekend was the fact that Ryan Zimmerman, the face of the Nationals franchise, hit the disabled list. Zimmerman isn’t Washington’s only big bat currently residing on the shelf; Mike Morse has also hit the the DL with a lat injury.
The Nationals pitching staff has also felt the wrath of the injury bug. Late-inning relievers Drew Storen and Brad Lidge are currently out as is starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
Despite all of these injuries, Rizzo said that he likes the club that he currently has and that he’s willing to wait on his players “to get healthy”.
The Nationals largest area of need could be the bullpen, as Storen and Lidge are expected to be out for the foreseeable future. Washington’s offense has been lacking without Zimmerman and Morse, but their pitching staff has been one of the finest in the league, allowing them to remain atop the National League East.
It’s still early, but it will be interesting to see how active the Nationals are this summer on the trade front if they remain near the top of the NL East and their injury luck continues to run bad.
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