

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

In the end, Ryan Zimmerman’s right hamstring and the circumstances of the series never gave him a chance to make a major impact on the NLDS. Zimmerman worked for two months to return on the early side, so he could join the Nationals for the playoffs. His hamstring never reached a point where the Nationals could insert him into the lineup over a healthy starter.

“Hurt enough not to play,” Zimmerman said. “I think if it was good enough, I would have played. We would have maybe found a place to put me. This team was one of the best teams in the month of September. It’s hard to mess with something like that. We just didn’t get enough hits to win. That’s what got us.”

While he appeared in every game as a pinch hitter, Zimmerman never played on defense or ran the bases. Immediately after Zimmerman singled in the 10th inning of Game 2, the only time he reached base, Danny Espinosa replaced Zimmerman as a pinch runner. Manger Matt Williams said he would consider starting Zimmerman against left-hander Madison Bumgarner, but he stuck with the same lineup for Game 3.

Zimmerman’s in-game rehab down the stretch could have gone better. In his first game, Zimmerman dashed home from third base on a high chopper. Neither Zimmerman nor the Nationals indicated the play had done serious damage to his hamstring, which he July 22 in Colorado. But they had said they wanted Zimmerman to take as many at-bats as possible, and after the play Zimmerman did not return to the starting lineup for three days.

Zimmerman could still pinch hit, though. The Nationals’ four games never presented a chance for Zimmerman to hit in a big spot. He went 1 for 4 with a single, all of his plate appearances coming with the bases empty.

“I got some at-bats, but not too many at-bats with scoring position,” Zimmerman said. “It’s just kind of how they series went. It is what it is.”

Zimmerman will likely move to first base next season, assuming the Nationals allow Adam LaRoche to leave via free agency. Last week, LaRoche said he would love to stay in Washington but expects he will join a team next season.