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BY RICH CAMPBELL
NEW YORK--
Washington Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson returned to Washington before last night's game to have his injured right wrist examined today.Johnson was diagnosed with a strained right wrist tendon following Tuesday's 6-3 loss to New York. He hurt it when he fouled a pitch off in the eighth inning.
"I hope it's not anything serious," Johnson said on his way out of Shea Stadium. "Today it's pretty sore. Last night, I couldn't go to sleep because it was pretty sore. Today I can't really move it that much. I hope the drugs kick in."
Johnson's status is considered day-to-day. The earliest he could be back in the lineup is tomorrow at Baltimore.
X-rays taken of Johnson's wrist after Tuesday's game did not reveal any fracture. Still, he wore a plastic splint on his wrist that covered his entire forearm.
Aaron Boone started at first base last night and will receive the bulk of the playing time while Johnson is out, manager Manny Acta said.
In Boone's seven starts this season entering last night, he batted .393 (11-for-28) with two homers and five RBIs. Overall, he was batting .304 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
This is the first season in Boone's 11-year career in which he is not playing regularly, and he is adjusting well to the transition.
"It's something that I've embraced," Boone said. "I'm still learning it, still trying to get better at it. I think I've learned a lot about myself as a hitter through both trials and tribulations, so I feel like I can go in and produce after having sat for a while."
Boone, 35, never played first base before last season with the Florida Marlins. He posted a .987 fielding percentage there in 48 games.
Johnson, meanwhile, has not committed an error in 316 total chances this season. He stayed in the game Tuesday night after hurting his wrist, but he was in pain. He said he would not have been able to bat if his spot in the order came up in the ninth inning.
Johnson is hitting .226 with five homers, 20 RBIs and a team-best .415 on-base percentage this season, his first after returning from a gruesome broken right leg that cost him all of 2007.
BERGMANN RETURNS
Right-hander Jason Bergmann earned another chance to start for the Nationals with three consecutive strong minor league starts, and he'll be called up from Triple-A Columbus today to start the 1:10 p.m. game against New York.
Bergmann was sent down on April 12 after going 0-1 with an 11.68 ERA in three games (two starts). At Columbus, however, he went 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in five starts. He struck out 27 and walked 11 in 29 innings.
In his three most recent starts, Bergmann went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA.
"Hopefully, he's got everything in order," Acta said.
The quality of Bergmann's pitches was never in question, Acta said. It's his ability to execute them.
The Nationals were relatively quick to demote Bergmann, while they have given left-hander Matt Chico more leeway.
Chico went 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA in seven starts before he was demoted to the bullpen, while Bergmann started only two games before he was converted to a reliever. After one relief outing, he was sent down.
Asked why Chico (0-5, 6.42) has stayed in the majors despite his struggles, while Bergmann was sent down, Acta said: "It was the fact that [Chico] was already stretched out over here and that he's left-handed. That's all it was."
Chico is a candidate to be sent down this morning, when the Nationals have to make room on their 25-man roster for Bergmann. Another candidate is reliever Joel Hanrahan (0-2, 4.63), who has struggled with control.
Hanrahan, however, is out of minor-league options and could be claimed off waivers by another team if he is sent down. Chico still has options remaining and would be protected.
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
