Nationals Activate Michael Morse From Disabled List

Remember Michael Morse?

In 2011 he was a great story, a failed prospect who finally, at age 29, made it big in the major leagues. He hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI and finished 19th in National League MVP voting.

2012, though? Different story. He had a lat injury that he had originally hoped would only keep him out a day or two, but here we are, two months into the season and Morse is at last ready to play, according to Evan Dreilich at MLB.com:

One of the Nationals’ biggest bats from a season ago, Michael Morse, is set for his season debut after being activated from the disabled list Friday.

The Nats and Braves play in a 7:05 p.m. ET contest at Nationals Park. Outfielder Corey Brown was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the roster.

Morse went 8-for-21 in a brief rehab assignment. The Nats could use his bat.

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Michael Morse Shut Down 6 Weeks With Injured Lat

When Michael Morse was first experiencing lat discomfort, the word was that he might have to miss one day, two days max. It was nothing. This was in spring training, and Morse looked like he'd be fine come opening day. Given that, it's kind of remarkable the way this has blown up.

Morse went on the disabled list to open the season. During a rehab assignment, he seemed to aggravate the injury. He got tested, the test results were reviewed, and now look at what Morse and the Nationals are dealing with:

Michael Morse will be shut down for six weeks. Aggravated his lat injury by throwing. Rest now, then ramp up. Full timetable indefinite.

— Amanda Comak (@acomak) April 12, 2012

Six weeks of inactivity. Morse isn't out for another six weeks. Morse isn't active for another six weeks. Then he'll need to build back into shape, provided the injury heals the way everyone wants it to. We're looking at one heck of a timetable.

It's a big blow for a Nationals team that's missing Morse's presence in the middle of the lineup. Somehow a Mark DeRosa/Xavier Nady platoon doesn't quite strike the same amount of fear. Maybe if this were 2008. In 2008, DeRosa had a 117 OPS+, and Nady had a 127 OPS+. Fantastic! It's not 2008. DeRosa and Nady so far are a combined 5-for-28 with five singles.

Michael Morse Injury: Nationals Slugger Still Out With Lat Discomfort

Between 2010-2011, Michael Morse posted an .896 OPS for the Washington Nationals. I like to think he was a big reason why the team didn't splurge on Prince Fielder this past winter, even though I should probably know better. The bigger point: the Nationals figured they had a reliable, powerful bat in Michael Morse.

Then, in spring, Morse injured his lat. It wasn't supposed to be a major injury at the time. It's become more of a major injury. Morse was placed on the disabled list to open the year. Then, during a rehab assignment, he had a setback. The latest:

Davey said #Nats are sending Michael Morse's test results to Dr. Andrews for evaluation. Morse has been shut down with strained lat.

— Dan Kolko (@DanKolko) April 11, 2012

We'll know more about Morse's status before long. But the whole "indefinite" thing is worrisome. In Morse's absence, the Nationals have been playing Mark DeRosa and Xavier Nady, and while Mark DeRosa and Xavier Nady are probably perfectly neat people, they aren't Michael Morse. If the Nationals are to hang around first place in the NL East, they're probably going to need Morse's bat to help them do it.

Mike Morse Injury: Nationals Slugger To Start The Season On Disabled List

Mike Morse should hit in the middle of the order for the Nationals, but he isn't going to do it for the first couple of weeks of the new season.