Washington Nationals Injury Report: 4/7

Mar 14, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder

(7) bats in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers during a spring training exhibition game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals lost yet another player Sunday afternoon as the team placed outfielder Scott Hairston on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. In a corresponding move the Nationals called up outfielder/first baseman Tyler Moore from Triple-A Syracuse.

Hairston, 34, injured the oblique on a swing during the Nationals’ game against the Mets last Thursday. The outfielder has just two at bats on the season, recording one hit and scoring a run.

The move was first noticed by Nationals’ beat writers who saw that Moore’s name was on the lineup card. But it was not immediately clear whose place Moore was taking and many assumed that Ryan Zimmerman was headed to the disabled list after leaving yesterday’s game with a sore shoulder. The confusion and speculation subsided once everyone realized that Zimmerman was still on the lineup card and Hairston was not.

Although the move cleared up some confusion, it also created further concern for a team that has already been hit hard by  injuries early on in the season. Hairston joins Doug Fister and Wilson Ramos on the disabled list and all three could be out for the better part of April.

While there is no denying the fact that injuries have been a problem for the Nationals this season, the situation could improve in the very near future. Fister threw from 60 feet Sunday morning for the first time since he suffered a lat strain during spring training that sent him to the disabled list. Playing catch for the first time might not seem all that significant, but it is a major step for a pitcher who is hoping to be back well before the end of the month.

"“He threw the ball fine,” pitching coach Steve McCatty told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. “No pain. Didn’t feel anything in the back or the elbow. So it was good.”"

It doesn’t mean that we will see Fister back in the rotation any time soon, but it is definitely a good sign and shows that he is making progress. Another bit of good news for the Nationals is that Ryan Zimmerman’s MRI revealed no structural damage in his surgically repaired right shoulder and he could avoid a stint on the disabled list. Zimmerman will take advantage of the off day to rest the shoulder and will be reevaluated before the Nationals play the Marlins Tuesday night.

It’s never a good sign when you have an injury report with several players on it at the beginning of April. But fortunately for the Nationals, it looks like a few of these players may be coming back very soon and manager Matt Williams will be able to field the roster he envisioned coming out of spring training.