Report: Jayson Werth out until at least August due to wrist fractures

The Washington Nationals will be without their most expensive player for quite some time. Outfielder Jayson Werth will be sidelined until at least August due to two fractures in his wrist, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The Nationals have not confirmed the news.

Werth suffered the injury after being hit with a pitch May 15 against the San Diego Padres. A recent CT scan revealed the fractures.

Werth is no stranger to wrist injuries. He missed time in 2012 after fracturing his wrist while making a catch in the outfield. Werth also broke his wrist in 2005, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would return to action during the season, but underwent surgery on his wrist during the offseason and missed all of 2006.

After consulting with the same doctor who performed his 2012 procedure, Werth believes he can return to full strength as early as August. While the injury is alarming, the Nationals have shown that they can get by without the veteran outfielder for long stretches.

Though the club got off to slow start, it has recovered in recent weeks. The team has compiled a 28-19 record without Anthony Rendon for the entire season, and with Doug Fister and Werth missing time recently.

While there's no stud outfielder who is going to replace Werth, the club has a number of interchangeable parts who can get the job done. Michael Taylor, Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore should see the majority of the playing time in left with Werth out. Taylor probably has the highest upside of the bunch, but the club has drifted toward going with Moore recently.

Those players aren't going to strike fear into opposing teams, but it might not matter. The Nationals came into the season as the overwhelming favorites in the National League East, and they are starting to play like it. The New York Mets may present a bit of a challenge, but the Nats still measure up without Werth.

On its own, Werth's absence isn't all that threatening to Washington's chances. But once you consider all the injuries the club is dealing with, it's clear that they can't afford another big blow.

The team's depth has already been spread pretty thin with both Fister and Rendon missing time. Rendon appears to be working his way back, so that should help, and Tanner Roark can be more than adequate in the rotation while Fister is out.

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With secondary players already taking on heightened roles, the Nationals don't really have the depth to survive another significant injury. Ryan Zimmerman, Wilson Ramos and Bryce Harper don't have the best history in that regard, so that's a concern.

Until that happens, the club should be fine. Losing Werth will hurt, but the team has the depth to handle the injury.

Keeping everyone else on the field is the major concern moving forward. Another big blow could force the team to make some significant changes.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik