With Opening Day 31 days away, one of the storylines that Washington Nationals fans are going to keep a close eye on is the health of left fielder Jayson Werth. Werth, who had 16 home runs and 82 RBI’s in 2014, is rehabbing from arthroscopic shoulder surgery that he had last month. While Washington is hopeful that he will be in the lineup on April 6 against the New York Mets, there may be some good news that could make that return date more likely.
On Wednesday, Werth took five swings off a tee and 15 dry swings, which is earlier than what the doctors recommended. Back in February, the doctors told him to wait eight weeks before resuming baseball activities. Instead, the 35-year old decided to begin the process two days earlier than what was scheduled.
"“I just got to be smart, though. I can’t do something to put myself at risk, but I didn’t feel like that was a big risk. It’s real light. It’s going to take time. Really, we’ll see how I feel tomorrow, and if things keep going the way they’re going, I think we’ll be fine.” (h/t MLB.com)"
Now, Jayson Werth knows his body more than any of us do. That being said, this still sounds a little risky. Werth is one of the key contributors to a Nationals lineup that finished third in all of baseball in runs scored a year ago. Yes, it is only a couple days early, but you never know if any setback could occur that could cause the left fielder to miss more time.
More from Nationals News
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
Opening Day is an event that any baseball player would love to play in, but at the same time, the Nationals have short-term options that they could go to if they want to take a conservative approach in this instance. The team could turn to veteran outfielder Nate McClouth, prospect Michael Taylor, or Tony Gwynn Jr., who the team signed to a minor league contract on Monday night.
Werth still has a ways to go in his return as he has yet to begin a throwing program, which he is scheduled to start in a few days. For now, this is good news for any Nationals fan, but it is one that still needs to be taken with caution. Washington can deal without Werth for the short-term and playing Opening Day is great, but we will have to see whether or not starting the process early has any setbacks along the way.