Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Third Baseman Gets Cortisone Shot, Likely To Have Offseason Surgery

Ryan Zimmerman received another cortisone shot in his shoulder and manager Davey Johnson said it's likely the Nationals third baseman will need arthroscopic surgery after the season. Zimmerman has been bothered by the shoulder all season, but went on a tear at the plate earlier in the second half after receiving a cortisone shot. This will be the third such shot of the season for him, with the pain particularly acute in June.

The shoulder will keep him out of the second game in Washington's Wednesday doubleheader against the Dodgers.

In addition to Zimmerman, Johnson also said he'd likely play Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa, who are also battling injury issues, in just the first game. First pitch of the day is set for 4:05 p.m. ET at Nationals park.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Third Baseman Activated From Disabled List

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is officially off the disabled list and is now available to play Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement today according to the press release. The release also said that outfielder Jayson Werth was placed on the disabled list because of his wrist fracture.

Zimmerman last played on April 20. To that point he had batted .224 with four doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in 15 games. The Nationals went 7-6 while Zimmerman was out of the line up. The Nationals could use Zimmerman's help going forward on offense. The Nationals have lacked some offensive punch and Zimmerman was starting to turn a corner offensively prior to his stint on the DL.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Davey Johnson Targets Tuesday Return For Washington Third Baseman

As a rule, shoulder injuries are notoriously tricky to deal with, and Ryan Zimmerman's inflamed AC joint is proving to be no exception.

One day after telling reporters that he was targeting this Sunday night's game against Philadelphia as his return date, Ryan Zimmerman got a second opinion from his own manager.

CSNWashington's Mark Zuckerman has the 411:

"He's throwing and doing all that," Johnson said. "He feels great. But he's still got to wait, make sure we get by this injury. So I think Tuesday is his coming-out party, hopefully."

Zimmerman hasn't played since April 20. We'll know much more about his status after he attempts to hit off a tee on Friday.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Third Baseman Could Return To The Lineup Sunday

When will Ryan Zimmerman return from a right shoulder injury? It appears it might be on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies as a part of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball." Though he did say the primetime game wasn't a determining factor.

Washington's third baseman played catch for several minutes on Tuesday at Nationals Park. It was his first baseball activity since he received an inflammatory shot on Friday in Los Angeles, while the team was in Southern California to face the Dodgers. When asked by reporters about how his shoulder felt, he said "it felt great." On Friday, Zimmerman, who is currently on the disabled list, will hit for the first time in the hope of being able to play Sunday -- the first day he is eligible to return from the DL.

The injury was sustained after a series of dives at third base, leading to an inflammation of the AC joint in his shoulder. There was reportedly no shoulder damage.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Nationals' Star Heads To DL, Bryce Harper Called Up To Majors

The Washington Nationals sent shockwaves through baseball by calling up 19-year-old prospect Bryce Harper after placing Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL.

Ryan Zimmerman Injury Update: Right Shoulder Not Improving, Trip To Disabled List Could Be Next

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman worked out on Thursday before the game against the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately his shoulder showed little to no improvement since being diagnosed with an inflamed AC joint. Washington Post Nationals beat reporter Adam Kilgore said that Zimmerman will go and visit a doctor while the team is in Los Angeles for their series against the Dodgers.

Zimmerman will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles for further examination and treatment. Then the Nationals will decide whether to place him on the disabled list. Zimmerman will likely receive a cortisone shot, or something similar.

Given that the Nationals still have the lead in the NL East despite missing Zimmerman for the last four games, there should not be cause for immediate concern. Chad Tracy has been playing well in Zimmerman's absence, so the Nationals will not rush him back from his injury.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury Update: Third Baseman Has Inflamed AC Joint, Will Work Out Thursday

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's MRI results came back with some positive news according to William Ladson, writer for the Nationals official website.

Ryan Zimmerman has inflammation in the AC joint. But there isn't any shoulder damage. #Nats #MLB

— William Ladson (@washingnats) April 25, 2012

The fact that there is no structural damage to Zimmerman's shoulder is good news in and of itself. The third baseman does plan to work out on Thursday before the Nationals' game against the San Diego Padres according to Washington Post Nationals beat reporter Adam Kilgore.

Ryan Zimmerman upbeat about MRI results. He's off today. Tomorrow he'll work out, determine if he can play or needs anti-inflammatory shot.

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) April 25, 2012

Zimmerman has missed the last three games, including Wednesday's against the Padres, with this injury. The Nationals would like to get him back, but only if he's fully healthy to play.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury Update: MRI Results 'Not Favorable' According To Davey Johnson

The Washington Nationals beat the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, but they did so without their star third baseman and face of the franchise Ryan Zimmerman. He missed his second straight game with shoulder issues, and he reportedly got an MRI on that injured wing. The results aren't very good, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington post, via Baseball Nation.

"At this point, as far as I know, it’s not real favorable," Manager Davey Johnson said. "It looks like he’s going to need to some more rest. We’ll just have to wait and see."

The Nationals planned to wait at least until Wednesday to make any roster moves. If Zimmerman lands on the disabled list, Johnson said he would use Mark DeRosa, Chad Tracy and Steve Lombardozzi to replace Zimmerman at third base.

Despite their impressive record out of the gate, the Nationals have been snake bit by injuries to some of their best players; and this injury to Ryan Zimmerman seems to follow the pattern set forth by Michael Morse and Drew Storen. When Ryan Zimmerman was held out of the game on Saturday the Nats said that they didn't consider the injury serious and that he just needed a few days off. Now, those few days later, Zimmerman has gotten and MRI and the results are not good. It's the exact same thing that happened to Morse and Storen. Hopefully Zimmerman's prognosis is better.

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Ryan Zimmerman Injury: Nationals 3rd Baseman Will Have MRI On Right Shoulder

Washington Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will undergo an MRI on his sore right shoulder, according to a report from Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. Zimmerman has rested the past three days with what was initially believed to be shoulder inflammation but was later revealed as a sprained AC joint in the shoulder. But Zimmerman is still experiencing pain when he swings, and was once again held out of Tuesday night's game in San Diego. Manager Davey Johnson sounded alarmed but hopeful before the matchup against the Padres:

"I hope it's nothing serious, but we're going to send him to go get an MRI and make sure it's nothing serious," Johnson said. "We don't want to take a chance of aggravating that. I don't have a good feeling, I mean, he's had three days off, had treatment so it could calm down the inflammation - we thought it was inflammation. Hopefully it's nothing serious. We'll know after they take the MRI."

The results of the MRI are expected back sometime after Tuesday night's game on the West Coast.

We'll have plenty more on this series over the next few days here on SB Nation D.C., so keep it locked to this StoryStream for all the latest news and updates as they become available. For more on this and all series for the Washington Nationals, please head over to Federal Baseball. For some perspective from the other dugout you can check out Gaslamp Ball, SB Nation's San Diego Padres blog. As always, you can check out the SB Nation MLB hub page for more on this and every MLB series.

Ryan Zimmerman Out Of The Lineup As The Nationals Prepare For San Diego

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was a late scratch for Saturday's game against the Florida Marlins -- a 3-2 win for Washington. He was not schedule to play Sunday, either. The game, however, was rained out. With that said, Zimmerman was expecting to play on Tuesday, as the Nationals begin a six-game west coast roadtrip at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres.

As for now that doesn't appear to be the case, as he was not in the lineup for tonight's game against the Padres, according to the Washington Times. Taking his place at third is Steve Lombardozzi, who has eight hits in 18 plate appearances this season.

Here are the full lineups for both teams for tonight's game.

Nationals

Ian Desmond SS
Danny Espinosa 2B
Mark DeRosa RF
Jayson Werth CF
Adam LaRoche 1B
Xavier Nady LF
Wilson Ramos C
Steve Lombardozzi 3B
Gio Gonzalez P

Padres

Chris Denorfia LF
Will Venable RF
Chase Headley 3B
Nick Hundley C
Cameron Maybin CF
Orlando Hudson 2B
Yonder Alonso 1B
Jason Bartlett SS
Clayton Richard P

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