BOSTON — Jayson Werth sat in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park on Monday evening, his official return to the Washington Nationals lineup complete.
The team reinstated Werth from the 15-day disabled list and immediately put him in the starting lineup for its series-opener against the Boston Red Sox. Werth hit fourth in the batting order and went 0-for-3 with two groundouts and a strikeout. He also started in left field before being replaced by Reed Johnson in the seventh inning. The Nationals lost, 9-4.
“This is kind of standard Opening Day for me,” Werth said. “Usually timing’s a little off and what have you, but I feel good physically. Matt [Williams] decided to get me out of there just because I was out there a long time. Wanted me to be available for tomorrow. At that point, it’s hard to argue with.”
To make room for Werth on the 25-man roster, the Nationals sent Matt den Dekker, whom they recently acquired from the New York Mets in exchange for Jerry Blevins, to Triple-A Syracuse. Den Dekker had two minor league options remaining.
Williams said Werth could hit either third or fourth this season, depending on the health of the rest of the lineup. He is expected to serve as a designated hitter either Tuesday or Wednesday.
“It depends on how he feels,” Williams said before Monday’s game. “Being in the American League park, we can piecemeal that a little bit the next three games. Give him a DH day, for sure. Get him off his feet. Give him at-bats. Make sure he’s feeling good about that. So we’ll see. It all depends on how he feels.”
SEE ALSO: Yunel Escobar impressive in No. 2 spot to begin his Nationals tenure
Werth met up with the Nationals in Philadelphia on Sunday after their 4-3 victory over the Phillies. He played three games during a rehabilitation assignment at Single-A Potomac last week, going 1-for-6 at the plate with a homer and three walks. He is a little more than three months removed from offseason surgery to repair the AC joint in his right shoulder.
Werth hit .292 last season and led the Nationals with a .394 on-base percentage. He finished with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 82 RBI in 147 games.
Werth’s return should have a significant impact on a Washington lineup that scored only 13 runs in the first six games of the season. Though the 35-year-old admitted it might take time for his timing at the plate to fully return.
“I look at it like this: You come out of spring training, some years you hit over .300, some years you hit under .200. That doesn’t really translate to the season,” Werth said. “So no matter what, whether you feel good or not during spring training, whether you got 100 at-bats or 30 at-bats, it doesn’t matter once you get up here in the big leagues. It’s all brand new. So whether I had 70 at-bats and hit .400 on my rehab assignment, it wouldn’t translate anyway. I feel good. I feel ready. My routine’s solid. And I’m ready to go.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.