Even on shelf, Jayson Werth takes part in first full-squad workout

VIERA, Fla. - Jayson Werth was on the field this morning as the Nationals began their first official full-squad workouts in preparation for the 2015 season. He was limited though, not participating in any throwing or hitting drills, while still recovering from right shoulder surgery early last month.

Werth continues to focus on opening day as a return date with the initial rehabilitation period being two to three months after the procedure.

"That's kind of my goal," he said today. "Again though, you got to err on the side of caution. You come back too early and then you have a setback or something like that, so it's a fine line. But our trainers and doctors are on top of it. I feel like I have a good sense of where I'm at and where I want to be, so it's just a time thing. It's good to get down here and have our guys, so to speak, looking at it and caring for it. And it's just good to be back around everybody."

Nationals manager Matt Williams was impressed by Werth's involvement in today's practice, saying that it was totally voluntary.

"The good thing that I saw out of Jayson today was he's unable (to participate) at this point - he's in rehab mode - but he was out there," Williams said. "He's out there in the outfielder drills. He's doing what he can, but he's with his teammates and that's a really important thing. Often times, it's really for the guy that's on the DL or the guy that's really not participating right now just to hang and work with the trainers and stay away from all that. But the fact that he was out there is really important for us. We didn't force him to be out there. He did it on his own. So that is a great sign for our team, that he was out there doing what he can and being with his teammates, imparting some knowledge to the young guys and being a part of it in that way, until he can get back to playing status and go."

Williams said Werth will probably begin hitting before he starts throwing, while echoing Werth's point about not rushing back too fast.

"Generally, early on in his at-bats, he takes a lot of pitches," Williams said. "He doesn't necessarily walk up there and whack the first one that they throw in there. So that process is kind of his mantra. So being behind the eight-ball a little bit, we don't want him to rush through that and not be prepared when he's ready to go."

When Werth is ready, he'll step aside for Bryce Harper to take over in right field while he moves to left. The 35-year-old joked that he's heading out to left field to hide, referring to managers' tendencies to send lesser-skilled players there because of the fewer physical demands of the position. The 12-year veteran said he's been expecting to make the switch adding that someday he'll probably transition into a designated hitter.

The last time we saw Werth he was the lone Nationals player to show up for Max Scherzer's introductory press conference. Today, he reflected on how the perception of the franchise has changed over the past four seasons since he signed with the Nationals in December of 2010.

"The difference between my press conference and Max's press conference, when I signed here, that was the whole plan, you know," Werth said. "We've got the young guys coming, all the talent and everything. It wasn't perceived that way. It was perceived totally different. Then when you get to Max signing, he got asked why he signed here and said, 'It's easy, I want to win.' That made me smile a little bit, because from when I signed here to when he signed here, the perception has definitely changed.

"My signing was almost laughable, I think, publically. People didn't understand it or scrutinized heavily. You've got GMs in the same division making comments. Now here we are, four years later, we're getting guys like Max to sign here, one of the, if not the best team in the National League - if not MLB. You know, things are looking up. My decision for coming here looks like a pretty good decision."

The signing of Scherzer made the Nationals favorites to win a world championship this season, but after two division titles in the past three seasons, it was no secret that they were already primed to compete into October. Despite Bryce Harper's comments yesterday, Werth thinks the Nationals will maintain focus and not look ahead.

"We've dealt with it now for the past couple years," Werth said. "It's been there, expectations have been there. Davey (Johnson) threw out the 'World Series or bust' thing a couple years ago and that didn't go so well. We've had expectations. The more times you go through things, the more times you're able to learn and be able to deal with it. But I don't think it's really a big deal. It's no secret. Teams have been gunning for us. We know who we are, they know who we are, so that's part of it.

This morning, Williams' daily quote of the day posted in the clubhouse read, "The road to the World Series begins today." Before they headed out to the practice field for the first time this spring as a full unit, the reigning NL Manager of the Year addressed his team in the clubhouse. Later, Werth was asked if it's possible for a manager to set the tone for a season with a speech on the first day.

"I would say it depends on the guy, it depends on the manager," Werth said. "I've played for some guys that could set the tone, I've played for some guys that couldn't set the tone. It just depends on the guy. I would say our guy can set the tone."

That's pretty telling about the relationship Werth has with his manager heading into their second year together. And, just from the start of day one, it's obvious how valuable Williams thinks Werth is to the success of his ballclub.

"He's a pro," Williams said intensely. "He knows what to do. He's been in the war, man. He understands it. So I think it has a ripple effect for all of us. He's a professional baseball player, in every aspect. Puts together a fantastic at-bat, he's knowledgeable, he does all of the things on the baseball field that are right and he's a vital part of our team, even when he's not playing."