Zimmerman rehab shifts to Potomac (Nats up 11-0)

PITTSBURGH - Ryan Zimmerman has gone on two-game rehab assignments before. This current one won't be nearly so quick.

After playing in a pair of games over the weekend for Double-A Harrisburg, Zimmerman is now shifting to Single-A Potomac to continue his rehab from a recurrence of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. And he may be there for a while.

Manager Davey Martinez said today he wants the veteran first baseman to not only get his foot healthy but also to get his entire game healthy after two extended stints on the injured list for the same injury. Zimmerman has played in only 33 games this season. The Nationals can't afford to activate him before his swing feels as strong as his foot.

"We've got to build him up," Martinez said. "I talked to him yesterday. It's going well and he feels good. But we've got to try to get him as many at-bats as we can and then we'll move forward. But the whole thing is to get him back, get him healthy and keep him here for the remainder of the season."

Zimmerman was scheduled to begin his rehab with Harrisburg on Friday, but that game was postponed due to unplayable conditions in Richmond. The 34-year-old wound up playing in one game of Saturday's doubleheader (going 0-for-2 with a walk) and then in Sunday's series finale (going 1-for-2 with a strikeout and a hit by pitch).

Zimmerman now shifts to Potomac, which begins a road trip in Frederick on Tuesday.

Update: The Nationals lineup is just a little bit red-hot right now. After scoring 14 runs Saturday night and 16 runs Sunday afternoon, the Nats have already scored eight runs in the first two innings of tonight's opener against the Pirates. They've blasted three home runs, with Adam Eaton going deep for the third straight day, Matt Adams crushing a two-run homer to cap the first-inning rally and then Trea Turner sending a three-run shot to left field in the top of the second. If you've lost track, that's 11 home runs by the Nationals in their last 10 offensive innings. That's a lot. They lead the Pirates 8-0 and have already chased Trevor Williams from this game.

Update II: The Nats keep pouring it on. They added three more runs in the top of the fourth, thanks to doubles by Asdrúbal Cabrera and Adams, who now has eight total bases and four RBIs through three at-bats tonight. The only bad news: Joe Ross got tagged in the lower right leg by a comebacker in the bottom of the fourth and had to depart the game. We'll see if that was just precautionary, given the 11-0 score, or if it's anything more serious.