Morse Suffers Setback; Wont Play in Home Opener

Nationals starting left fielder Michael Morse won’t be in the lineup for the home opener as the team had hoped.

Before Tuesday night’s 6-2 win over the New York Mets,  manager Davey Johnson told The Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore and other reporters that Morse has suffered a setback in his recovery from a strained right lat muscle that has landed him on the disabled list to start the season.

Johnson said Morse pulled himself from Monday night’s rehab assignment with Class A Hagerstown after seven innings, instead of playing the full nine as the team had hoped. Johnson said Morse couldn’t complete a throw from left field to shortstop, and felt worse as the game progressed.

The injury hasn’t affected Morse at the plate. He was  5-for-12 with a homer and a double in his rehab before leaving Monday’s game.

The team will now await results of further tests performed Tuesday in Washington before deciding how to proceed with Morse.