Marty Niland: Nats get some good news on a tough weekend

It was a frustrating, weekend of dormant offense for the Nationals against Dodgers aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who combined to hold the Nats scoreless for 18 innings, striking out 25 batters.

Amid all the whiffs and groundouts, however, the Nats did get a key bit of good news: Injured stars Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are all off to good starts on minor league rehab assignments. Although none will be on the field for what has turned out to be a crucial series against the second-place New York Mets, their eventual return will be a welcome sign for a team whose projected starting lineup has yet to play a game together this season.

Left fielder Werth (wrist fractures) has been out of the lineup since being hit by a pitch from San Diego's Odrisamer Despaigne on May 15. He has played six games with Class A Potomac, going 3 for 13 with a home run. This week, he'll move up to Triple-A Syracuse, where he will continue to try to play his way into shape. He's hoping to be back in the lineup by Aug. 1.

Werth was not having a particularly good season before his injury, hitting just .208/.294/.581 with a pair of homers, but he did seem to just be getting comfortable at the plate, going 5-for-15 with hits in four straight games before the injury.

When Werth does return, he will be a welcome addition to an outfield that will likely still be without center fielder Denard Span, who is on the disabled list with back spasms. Michael A. Taylor has been hitting the ball well while playing every day in Werth's absence, but Matt den Dekker and Tyler Moore have been inconsistent filling in.

Infielder Rendon (strained quad) went 2-for-2 with a run scored for Single-A Potomac on Saturday. He has played in only 18 games for the Nationals this season, hitting .290/.375/.737 through June 25. Like Werth, Rendon was on a four-game hitting streak when he was injured, going 8-for-15.

Rendon's return could raise some questions in the Nationals lineup. With struggling shortstop Ian Desmond's average slipping to .204/.248/.572, and utility man Danny Espinosa hitting consistently and playing his usual stellar defense at second base, it's conceivable that Desmond could take a seat while Rendon moves in at second and Espinosa slides over to short. Rendon could also move in at his natural third base position, and have Yunel Escobar move to second and Espinosa to short. Either way, manager Matt Williams is sure to want Rendon, his 2014 team MVP, back in the lineup every day.

First baseman Zimmerman (plantar fasciitis), began his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday, going 1-for-2 and playing in the field for three innings. He has been out since June 10 and was hitting .209/.265/.611 with five home runs, but his 34 RBIs still rank third on the team. When he does return, he would likely step right in and play, although Clint Robinson is hitting .270/.345/.753 in his absence.

Of course, none of the three will be back in time for the upcoming series against Mets, who will send their two best starters, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, to the mound in the first two games of the series as they make a run at the first-place Nats.

Even here, though, the Nats have a bit of good news: The Mets flew to Washington after an 18-inning win over St. Louis, so they should still be recovering from both the marathon game and traveling. When a team has seen as many bad breaks as the Nats have this season, they should be thankful for every morsel of help they can get.

Marty Niland blogs about the Nationals for D.C. Baseball History. Follow him on Twitter: @martyball98. His thoughts on the Nationals will appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.