Message #808323

[hammondsnats]

Manager Davey Johnson excluded third baseman Ryan Zimmerman from Monday's lineup after Zimmerman told him Sunday that he's experiencing tenderness where he had abdominal surgery two months ago.

"I sat him immediately," Johnson said. "I'm not taking a chance with him."

Johnson told reporters after Sunday's 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh that he wanted to give Zimmerman a day off. Zimmerman had surgery on May 3 to repair a torn abdominal muscle and missed 58 games. He had been in the lineup for all 19 games since he returned from the disabled list on June 14.

Zimmerman did not reveal that he is experiencing discomfort when he spoke to a reporter after Sunday's game about the possibility of taking a day off.

"I feel good," he said. "Coming back you’ve got to be a little cautious, but I’m ready to go out there every day. But if Davey and the guys think it’s necessary and fit, for them looking out for me, it’s one of those things where it’s tough to take it, but you need it sometimes.

"I’ve told him that if you need me to go, I’m there to go every day. Sometimes those guys know better. It’s hard to get us out of the lineup sometimes. A day here and a day there can do wonders for the long run."

Johnson wondered aloud on Sunday whether he could afford to rest Zimmerman in light of the team's mounting injuries. But right fielder Jayson Werth will bat fifth Monday after leaving Sunday's game in the sixth inning when he was hit by a pitch in the left wrist. Johnson originally expected Werth to miss a day or two.