Bruised foot still sore, Adams out of lineup again

If he could play, Matt Adams surely would have been in the Nationals' lineup tonight, with Davey Martinez wanting the lefty slugger batting fifth against Braves right-hander Julio Teheran.

The drop-off to Howie Kendrick (who happens to be 6-for-18 with three doubles in his career vs. Teheran) isn't all that steep. But under normal circumstances, Adams would be the choice tonight.

"Oh, yeah," Martinez said. "Howie has pretty good numbers against this guy, but you still want Matt in there."

Alas, Adams is not ready to return to the lineup two days after getting hit by a pitch on his right foot.

X-rays and a CT scan of Adams' foot revealed a contusion, according to the Nationals, but it has not healed enough in the last 48 hours to allow him to start a game.

"He's doing better," Martinez said. "We didn't really want to push him, give him four at-bats today and have him run the bases. Hopefully, he's available to pinch-hit. He's getting treatment, and he's feeling way better than he did yesterday."

Martinez also said Monday afternoon he hoped Adams would be available to pinch-hit, but he never did appear in the Nationals' series opener against Atlanta.

Asked today if Adams was indeed available off the bench Monday, Martinez replied: "Probably not. I didn't ask him. But I don't think he could've done it. He was pretty sore yesterday. He's better today."

Adams' injury, on the heels of Ryan Zimmerman's return to the injured list with a recurrence of his plantar fasciitis, leaves the Nationals shorthanded on the bench. They have only three healthy bench players for tonight's game: Gerardo Parra, Adrián Sanchez and Kurt Suzuki.

Given that, the club may be forced to make a decision on Adams by Wednesday. If he still can't play, he may have to go on the IL so the Nats aren't left shorthanded any longer.