Werth expects to be fully recovered by Opening Day

WASHINGTON -- A day after having shoulder surgery to fix his right AC joint, Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth said in an email to MLB.com that he expects to be fully recovered by Opening Day.

Werth had the procedure done at the Mayo Clinc in Rochester, Minn., on Friday. Werth said there weren't any surprises during the surgery. The recovery time is two to three months.

"Just a little clean up," Werth said. "[The shoulder] should be back to normal. … Joint was stable and in good condition otherwise. The good news is we were dealing with necrotic bone from the injury and playing through it, removing that with the scope was minimally invasive and should cut the rehab time down considerably."

Werth has had problems with the shoulder since August, when he hurt it while making a catch against the Phillies at Nationals Park.

A few days later, Werth had an MRI on the shoulder, and the results revealed an AC joint sprain. He also received a cortisone shot, but he was able to play the rest of the season, including the postseason against the Giants.

Werth had one of his best seasons with the Nationals last year, hitting .292 with 16 home runs and 82 RBIs.