Mired in one of the worst slumps of his professional career, Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Outfielder Matt den Dekker was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Zimmerman’s spot on the active roster. Tyler Moore and Clint Robinson are expected to start at first base in Zimmerman’s absence.
Zimmerman is the fourth starting position player to land on the disabled list this season, joining Anthony Rendon, Denard Span and Jayson Werth, who is expected to be out until August with fractures in his left wrist. Two important cogs of Washington’s bullpen, Casey Janssen and Craig Stammen, have also missed multiple months. Starters Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the DL.
A disabled list stint will give Zimmerman time to rest the foot issue that has been bothering for the majority of the season. On April 23, he appeared hobbled on the basepaths during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals and manager Matt Williams first mentioned the injury. When asked about it, Zimmerman said the pain in his foot had been bothering him “for four or five days.” He proceeded to start the team’s next 35 games.
Though he was able to play, Zimmerman appeared to be at least partially hampered by the injury at the plate. A .282 career hitter, he was in the midst of a 4-for-46 skid entering a game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, when he was left out of the lineup for the second time in three games.
On Wednesday morning, Williams said the team was monitoring Zimmerman’s foot on a daily basis. The manager was not sure whether the injury was the source of Zimmerman’s recent slump.
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“He hasn’t made mention to me or to us that it’s bothering him when he swings,” Williams said. “I can see numerous times where he’s lined out and really hasn’t hit with any luck to speak of. That contributes to it, too. … First and foremost, we want to make sure he’s physically good, so we gave him two days off. We’ll look to try to get him through other spots if we can and go from there.”
When asked about his performance at the plate Sunday morning, Zimmerman said he would not alter his mechanics or routine. The numbers will even out of the course of the season, he said. They always do.
Zimmerman did admit, however, that his left foot was still bothering him.
“But just like everyone else in here that has something that bugs them, they play as well,” Zimmerman said. “Everyone always has something they’re dealing with, so that’s not an excuse. If it was hindering me, then I shouldn’t play.”
Perhaps he came to that realization Thursday.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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