Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman will start on Opening Day. There is no lingering injury or beef with anybody.
Rookie manager Dave Martinez believes it is better to ease Zimmerman into Grapefruit League action before starting the long slog of regular season play. Along with Adam Eaton, the thought is saving wear and tear now keeps Zimmerman fresher during the season and in October.
Free from three consecutive injury-laden seasons, along with two other shortened campaigns before, Zimmerman bounced back in 2017. In 144 games, his highest mark since 2012, he crushed a career-high 36 home runs while driving home 108.