X-rays on Zimmerman's hand negative, Ross nearing return

PHOENIX - Ryan Zimmerman appears to have avoided serious injury, but the Nationals first baseman is out of tonight's lineup with a sore left wrist one day after it was struck by a pitch.

Multiple X-rays taken on Zimmerman's wrist came back negative, according to manager Dusty Baker, who was breathing a sigh of relief after getting the news, knowing others who have been hit in a similar fashion (most notably Jayson Werth last season) have wound up missing months.

"We dodged a bullet that it's not broken," Baker said. "They took a couple different X-rays, different angles. So we feel very fortunate it's not broken, because any time you get hit in the wrist, around here you always think of J-Dub and what happened to him. So we feel very fortunate he's day-to-day."

Zimmerman had the wrist wrapped in athletic tape when he took the field late this afternoon for batting practice prior to the Nationals' series opener against the Diamondbacks. The team was hopeful he might be available to pinch-hit late in the game if needed but preferred to give him the full day off.

The injury occurred in the top of the ninth Sunday afternoon in San Francisco, when Zimmerman took a fastball from Giants closer Santiago Casilla off his wrist and fell in a heap to the ground. He eventually got up and walked down to first base, but had to wait while the Giants challenged the call, believing the ball hit his bat instead.

Fans seated behind the dugout got on Zimmerman's case, suggesting he had faked the hit-by-pitch in an attempt to reach base. Once officials in New York confirmed the initial call, Zimmerman uncharacteristically started waving at the crowd and doffed his helmet in a sarcastic fashion.

The exchange with fans notwithstanding, Baker was more worried about the status of his struggling first baseman.

"I was very concerned," the manager said. "Any time you get hit in the hand or the wrist, there's a lot of bones in there. There's not any meat in there to protect you. You're thinking from hairline fractures to broken bones. You try not to think about. You try to think positively, because you hate to lose anybody that sustains injuries this late in the season."

In other injury news, Joe Ross emerged from Saturday's rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse well and is moving closer to a return to the Nationals rotation.

Ross, out since July 3 with right shoulder inflammation, allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings in the outing, throwing 67 pitches. He's likely to need at least one more rehab start before he's ready to return.

The Nationals, who have been alternating prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in Ross' spot, have some time before they need to make a decision. With off-days coming up, they could wait as long as August 16 before using a fifth starter again.

"It certainly has been tough to fill that position with innings or quality," Baker said. "I'm hoping it won't be too much longer."