Washington Nationals News: Nats place Ryan Zimmerman on DL, call up Matt den Dekker
By Pablo Roa
The Washington Nationals placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list Thursday as the infielder continues to deal with left foot plantar fasciitis—a condition he’s been dealing with all season long. In a corresponding roster move, the Nationals called up outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse.
Zimmerman, 30, has struggled mightily with the bat through the first few months of the season. The first baseman is hitting just .209 with a .265 on-base percentage and a .346 slugging percentage through 56 games. While his RBI total is solid (he’s driven in 34 runs this season), his batting average is nowhere near where he wants it to be and he doesn’t seem to be making solid contact at the plate.
It’s unclear whether or not the plantar fasciitis has played a role in his offensive struggles, but he certainly hasn’t looked like himself at the plate. Hopefully for the Nationals, the DL stint will help Zimmerman overcome the fasciitis and his offense will be back to how it usually is once he returns from the disabled list.
Zimmerman’s DL stint, which is retroactive to Wednesday, is just the latest injury concern for the Nationals as the team has already been hit hard by the injury bug this season.
Denard Span, Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth have all missed significant time on the DL this season, and Werth isn’t expected to rejoin the team until August. The fact that Rendon is already back from the disabled list should help soften the blow of Zimmerman’s injury.
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With Zimmerman headed to the DL, den Dekker joins the big league club for the third time this season. The Nationals acquired den Dekker from the New York Mets on March 30 in exchange for reliever Jerry Blevins.
den Dekker, 27, is hitting .234 with seven doubles, two home runs, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 47 games with the Chiefs this season. The outfielder has appeared in four games for the Nationals this season, going 0-for-2 in two at bats off the bench. In 84 big league games, den Dekker is hitting .236 with a .322 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, one home run and 11 stolen bases.
Worth Noting
Placing Zimmerman on the DL isn’t the only roster move the Nationals made today, as they also acquired reliever David Carpenter from the New York Yankees in exchange for infield prospect Tony Renda.
Carpenter, 29, is 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 22 games with the Yankees this season. In his career, the right-hander is 11-11 with a 3.73 ERA in 210 major league appearances.