The Washington Nationals have announced OF Jayson Werth has been assigned to the Potomac Nationals for a rehabilitation stay beginning tonight at Pfitzner Stadium as the P-Nats take on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs) in a 7:05pm clash.
This rehab stretch with the P-Nats will mark the fifth time for Werth in his professional career he will wear the Red, White, and Blue of the Carolina League (fifth overall rehabilitation assignment with Potomac).
Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round (#22 overall selection) of the 1997 MLB Amateur Draft, Werth spent parts of the 1999 and 2000 seasons as a member of the circuit’s Frederick Keys (Baltimore).
Werth, 36, earlier this season joined Potomac on Opening Night 2015 (April 9th) then played again with the P-Nats in a doubleheader on April 11th while on the mend from right shoulder surgery performed on January 9th, 2015 to repair his acromioclavicular (AC) joint after the Major League veteran of now 13 seasons experienced pain during off-season workouts.
This time around, Werth was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 19th after being hit by a pitch on his left wrist on May 15th in San Diego, CA in a contest vs. the San Diego Padres at Petco Park thrown by Padres RHP Odrisamer Despaigne. An MRI revealed multiple fractures in Werth’s wrist which landed him on the DL for the second time in 2015.
Werth was productive for the Washington Nationals over the course of 147 games in 2014 swinging to a slash line of .292/.394/.455/.849 to complement 156 hits, 85 runs scored, 37 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, and 82 runs batted in while drawing 83 walks amid a healthy season.
In 2015 with Washington, Werth has played in just 27 games before re-injuring the same left wrist that sidelined him in 2012. In the limited sample size, Werth batted .208 (21-for-101) with 17 runs scored, 21 base hits, two doubles, two home runs, 12 RBIs, 12 walks, 25 strikeouts, and four sac flies while earning an on-base percentage of .294, a slugging clip at .287, and an OPS of .581.
A Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Champion and 2009 National League All-Star, Werth is a career .274 Big League hitter entering the 2015 campaign with a .368 on-base percentage, .465 slugging percentage, 188 homers, 671 RBIs, and 730 runs scored in 1,309 MLB games.
Werth formerly appeared with the Potomac Nationals while coming back from injuries in 2012 (broken left wrist), 2013 (right hamstring strain), and earlier in 2015 (aforementioned right shoulder AC joint).
In ’12, the man known by Nats fans as “The Wolf” batted .500 (3-for-6) in two rehab games while scoring two runs, cranking one double, and driving one run to the plate.
A season later, Werth went on a tear for the red, white, and blue over the course of two rehab stays (six total games beginning on 5/15/13 then continuing 5/29/13 to 6/2/13) in which he tallied eight RBIs, hit .556 (10-for-18), scored six runs, and walked twice. Werth also blasted a pair of home runs in a P-Nats’ 10-6 getaway day win over the Lynchburg Hillcats (Atlanta Braves).
Earlier this season, Werth went 1-for-6 at the plate for Potomac during a series against Lynchburg at Pfitzner Stadium from April 9th to April 11th. Werth blasted a solo home run off Hillcats RHP Adam Plutko on 4/11/15 which served as the difference maker in a Potomac Nationals’ 1-0 seven-inning victory.
The expected length of Werth’s rehabilitation stint with the Potomac Nationals has not been announced.
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Chris Graham
