Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinion with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson gives us an update on one of the Nationals’ key injured players. As Ladson notes, outfielder Jayson Werth took a big step in his recovery from a broken wrist today, as the outfielder began a rehab assignment with Class-A Potomac.
For Werth, returning to midseason form will be a challenge. The 36-year-old outfielder has been on the disabled list since mid-May with two small fractures in his wrist. For Werth, his return from the disabled list will essentially be Opening Day, and he’ll have to kick it into gear quickly as the Nationals prepare for the stretch and, hopefully, a playoff run in a few months.
That being said, this is great news for the Nationals. The team has been hit hard by injuries all season long, and Werth’s absence has been one of the main causes of the Nationals’ grossly inconsistent lineup.
Werth likely won’t rejoin the big league club for several days and won’t be back to his old self for a while, but the fact that he’s well on his way back from the injury in time for the stretch run is huge for the Nationals. And even if he shows rust once he returns, a rusty Werth could give the Nationals’ offense a boost and, more importantly, a sense of stability.
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Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore discussed how the Washington Nationals and shortstop Ian Desmond can and must part amicably if they are unable to reach a contract extension prior to this Winter—when Desmond is set to test the free agent market.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all our Washington Nationals needs.
Werth to begin rehab assignment at Class A Potomac
WASHINGTON — The man affectionately known as J-Dub is close to rejoining the Nationals. Outfielder Jayson Werth will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Potomac on Thursday.
Werth will rehab with Potomac for the second time this season. He was on the club’s Opening Day roster on April 9 while recovering from a right shoulder injury. Read full article here.
Likely parting of the Nationals and Ian Desmond should be sweet sorrow, not sour
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
The end of a relationship, in professional sports or otherwise, so often brings with it the assignment of blame. If one party had not been so stubborn, it wouldn’t have to end. If the team hadn’t been so cheap, it wouldn’t have to replace a perceived cornerstone. If the player hadn’t been so greedy, a beloved star wouldn’t have to leave. The end provokes. It bullies you into picking a side.
The urge to blame will become a temptation once another half season, plus a likely playoff run, comes and goes. Shortstop Ian Desmond and the Washington Nationals almost certainly will part ways once Desmond’s contract expires, the conclusion to a partnership that began in 2004, when the Nationals were not even the Nationals yet. Fight the impulse to point fingers. Appreciate Desmond while he’s still here, and prepare to say farewell without animus. Remember that sometimes both sides are faultless, that goodwill can remain intact and that this is one of those times.
Desmond and the Nationals made a beautiful pair. Desmond, enduring the worst season of his career in his walk year, was drafted by the Montreal Expos and grew into part of the franchise’s soul, a vivid symbol of where they came from and what they became. Read full article here.