Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond will return to the lineup tonight against the New York Mets. To clear space for Desmond, the Nationals have designated Cesar Izturis for assignment. This is according to the Nationals Twitter page.
Desmond, who has been sidelined since July 22 with a torn left oblique muscle, will bat sixth behind Adam LaRoche. Desmond had been red-hot before hitting the disabled list, batting .388 with 6 home runs and 17 RBI in his last 19 games. He was originally expected to miss five weeks, but the Nationals feel that he has sufficiently recovered.
Desmond was elected to this year's All-Star Game, but chose not to play so that he could rest his sore left oblique. The four-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Nationals. This season he has hit a career-high 17 home runs and stolen 15 bases in just 89 games.
Here's Washington's full lineup for Friday's series opener.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 17, 2012
#Nats 8/17 Lineup: Werth RF, Harper CF, Zim 3B, Morse LF, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Espinosa 2B, Suzuki C, Detwiler LHP
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