Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins after suffering a hamstring injury Wednesday night.
Continue for updates.
Werth's Status for Weekend Series vs. Minnesota Twins Unclear
Thursday, April 21
The Nationals confirmed Werth wouldn't play Thursday as Matt den Dekker drew the start in left field instead. Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reported the veteran had already been expected to get a day off Thursday, and manager Dusty Baker didn't sound overly concerned about the setback.
Still, the injury comes just as the slugger was starting to warm up at the plate. He started the season with one hit in his first 16 at-bats across five games. He's since gone a more reasonable 7-for-27 with two home runs in the last eight contests.
Getting him back on track is one of the biggest keys to the Nationals' season. He's smashed 200 career home runs and reached the 20-homer plateau five times in his career, but he's coming off an injury-plagued 2015 season that saw him finish with just 12 long balls.
The health concerns don't come as a surprise anymore, though. He's appeared in more than 140 games just twice in his previous five seasons in Washington. He plays the game hard, and that tends to take a collective toll on his body during the course of a year.
For now, it sounds like the latest issue is more of the minor variety. Even though Baker wasn't worried about the hamstring problem, he may still opt to give Werth an extra day or two off just to make sure he's back to full strength before sending him into action.
Den Dekker figures to receive the extra starts in left field until the starter is ready to roll. He doesn't bring the same type of hitting prowess as Werth, but he's a threat on the basepaths and plays solid defense anywhere in the outfield.
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