The Nationals have placed 23-year old righty starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman on the 60-day disabled list to make room on the roster for Chien-Ming Wang. Zimmerman will likely miss most if not all of the 2010 season as he underwent Tommy John surgery last August. Zimmerman pitched in 16 games (all starts) for the Nationals last season and he was 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Zimmerman whiffed 92 batters in 91 1/3 innings for the Nationals last season which just gave the team a glimpse of his future as he is a top prospect.

The Nationals have lost 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nyjer Morgan for the season due to a fractured left hand. Morgan played in 49 games for the Nationals this season after coming over from Pittsburgh and he was 67 for 191 (.351 avg, .831 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Morgan finished up the season playing in 120 games for the Nationals and Pirates in which he was 144 for 469 (.307 avg, .757 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. Morgan is the Nationals’ leadoff hitter of the future so getting him from Pittsburgh was a outstanding move.

Jordan Zimmerman will most if not all of the 2010 season due to Tommy John Surgery. Zimmerman started 16 games for the Nationals this season and he was 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Zimmerman also struck out 92 batters in only 91 1/3 innings this season for the Nationals showing what kind of stuff he has. The 23-year old righty starting pitcher is still a key to the Nationals’ future as he has the upside of being a #1 starting pitcher.

The Nationals have lost lefty starting pitcher Scott Olsen for the season due to surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. Olsen started 11 games for the Nationals this season and he was 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. He was tuly awful this season allowing 83 hits (11 of which were homers) in 62 2/3 innings.

The Nationals will be without starting catcher Jesus Flores for up to 3 months with a stress fracture in his right shoulder. Flores has played in 26 games this season for the Nationals and he is 28 for 90 (.311 avg, .904 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 homers and 15 RBIs. The plan now is to replace Flores with veterans Josh Bard and Wil Nieves. Bard has played in 17 games this season for the Nationals and he is 11 for 50 (.220 avg, .610 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. Nieves has played in 20 games for the Nationals and he is 18 for 64 (.281 avg, .647 OPS) with 8 runs scored and 9 RBIs. With the Nationals’ season spinning out of control don’t look for them to trade for a catcher.