Zimmerman discusses latest injury with MLB.com

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday after straining his right hamstring while running to first base against the Rockies the previous day.

Now home in Washington, D.C., Zimmerman is expected to see the team doctor Monday when he'll have an idea how long he will be out. MLB.com caught up with Zimmerman on Thursday evening to talk about his latest setback.

MLB.com: How are you feeling?

Zimmerman: Sore. It's frustrating to have all the injuries in one year. There is nothing you can do about it. You have to stay positive and be around for the guys. I have no doubt that the team will continue to play well. We are really starting to hit our stride and play the way we thought we should be playing. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to do that until I get back in there.

MLB.com: Was the field in Colorado in bad shape? The injury came out of nowhere.

Zimmerman: The field wasn't bad. Nothing was bad. It was one of those things. If you play long enough, something like that is going to happen. Leading up to the day it happened, I didn't have any problems with legs, with my body or anything. It's just one of those things. I wish I had an answer. I really don't.

MLB.com: How bad is the injury?

Zimmerman: We are not sure -- yet. We haven't had a chance to talk to the doctors back [in Washington]. We had the MRI and people have looked at it, but we are going to wait and see what our doctors have to say early next week or when the team gets home. It's tough to say. Until you really know, you really don't want to put a timetable on it. It's going to take a little while. It's one of those things where you can't really rush it either or you are just going to [suffer another hamstring strain]. We'll have a better idea how long by the middle of next week. It's frustrating. It stinks, but there is nothing you can do about it.

MLB.com: In your heart of hearts, will you be back during the regular season?

Zimmerman: I think so. Like I said before, it's really hard for me to tell. Honestly, we haven't talked to the team doctors yet. I haven't gone over there. I'm going to let them examine me. I just got home today and we have the weekend. It's tough to say. I wish I had an answer for you. It's too early to put any sort of timetable on it because we really don't know.

MLB.com: This has to be your most frustrating season. First it was your shoulder, then your broken thumb and now the hamstring injury.

Zimmerman: Yeah. Any time you have to deal with things like that, it's tough. Mentally, you have to grind it out a little bit more than you want to. But the thumb was a freak accident. The hamstring is something that happens to people. I take pretty good care of myself. I like to think there is really nothing else I could have done to prevent it. I have the same routine, the same workouts. I eat and drink the same way I have since I've been in the big leagues. I never had any sort of hamstring problem like this. I wish I could have stopped it from happening, but you really can't think like that. You'll be sick and beat yourself up. Sometimes things happen. As frustrating as it is, there is nothing you can do about it.

MLB.com: What are the next steps to get better?

Zimmerman: I'll probably see the doctor on Monday. He'll take a look at it, look at the MRI. We'll probably go with a plan from there. I know it will be some time to let it heal, no matter how bad it is. We really have good doctors. We'll put together a plan to get me back as quickly as they can, but at the same time, you can't rush it too much. Whenever I get back, whenever that is, I want to make sure I don't have to worry about the injury at all.

MLB.com: How do you think the Nationals will do without you?

Zimmerman: They have a really good team. One of the strengths of the organization the last two or three years is the depth that we have. There has been talk about making trades. We have one of, if not the best Triple-A team in all of baseball. We have guys down there that can help us.

MLB.com: So you don't think a trade should happen based on the depth you have in the Minor Leagues?

Zimmerman: We have guys in the organization that are more than capable of filling in. I know Danny [Espinosa] has been taking some heat this year, but he played a couple of games in Colorado and played great. No one doubts how he plays defensively. Anthony [Rendon] proved that he can be a well-above-average third baseman. We have guys from within that I trust and my teammates trust. I'm pretty sure the organization trusts them to come up and make a difference.

It's not my call. By no means am I trying to tell [general manager] Mike [Rizzo] and his staff what to do. They can make their decisions pretty well on their own. I think all of us in that locker room trust all the guys we have. We have a great organization. We'll be just fine.