Wednesday, July 27, 2005

MLB: Nick Johnson comes off DL for Nationals

The Washington Nationals have brought first baseman Nick Johnson off the disabled list, and he was inserted into the lineup in last night's loss against the Braves.

Johnson, who is hitting .315 with 8 homers and 42 RBI, missed 24 games due to a bruised right heel he suffered on June 26.

The Nats could really use his bat, as they rank last in the league in runs scored and have fallen behind Atlanta in the National League East race.

The move, however, did mean that slugger Preston Wilson was left out of hte lineup, as Brad Wilkerson was moved from first base to outfield and Jose Guillen and Ryan Church have been solid in the other two outfield positions.

Wilson is batting .256 since coming to the Nationals in a trade with Colorado, adding two homers and six RBI in 11 games.

The three outfielders in last night's lineup (Wilkerson, Guillen and Church) have been team leaders all year for the Nationals, with Church and Guillen both batting over .300.

Since it would seem that Johnson, Wilkerson, Church and Guillen will be in the lineup every day that all four are healthy, Preston Wilson's role may end up limited to pinch-hit appearances.

Johnson went 0-for-4 in his first game back.

No comments: