WASHINGTON -- Ryan Zimmerman is out of the Nationals starting lineup again Sunday with back and side soreness, but doesn't expect to go on the disabled list.
"Just a little sore," said Zimmerman, who hurt the area diving for a ball in the series opener against the Phillies on Friday night and was a late scratch on Saturday. "Hopefully by tomorrow it will be good to go, but we're just kind of being cautious. Nothing terrible."
Zimmerman entered Sunday with five homers and 16 RBIs despite batting .194 over his first 20 games this season. Nats manager Dave Martinez said the slugger potentially could be available to pinch-hit in an emergency in Sunday's series finale.
With injuries having limited the 33-year-old to fewer than 100 games in both 2014 and 2015, Zimmerman says it's easier now to be persuaded to take precautions.
"You learn that you have to do that over the course of the season," he said. "You could continue to play and it will just continue to get worse to the point where then it would be DL. That's kind of how baseball used to be. You used to go until you break."
Worth Noting
Going West: Second baseman Daniel Murphy (right knee surgery) and center fielder Adam Eaton (bruised left ankle) will both travel with the Nationals on their week-long West Coast trip to San Diego and Arizona. "Slow process," Martinez said of each player's recovery. "They're both frustrated. They want to be on the field. I like having them around."
Kendrick sits: Martinez said he was giving infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick a planned day out of the lineup. Kendrick is 1-for-10 with a walk in his last three games.