Report: Nationals' Zimmerman could miss significant time with oblique injury

The Washington Nationals may have to keep their fleeting playoff hopes alive without one of their hottest hitters.

Ryan Zimmerman was held out of the lineup Wednesday for the third time in the last four games, and though the 30-year-old first baseman is listed as day to day, the former All-Star could miss a significant amount of time, league sources told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Zimmerman, who missed roughly seven weeks earlier this season due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, reportedly hurt his oblique in Saturday's 8-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Omitted from Sunday's lineup, Zimmerman returned to the field Monday, going 2-for-5 in an 8-5 loss to the New York Mets, but has missed each of his team's last two games.

With just a 5.8 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason, the Nationals can ill afford an extended absence from Zimmerman, who boasts a 1.024 OPS with 11 home runs and 13 doubles in 39 games since returning from the disabled list July 28.

Zimmerman wasn't the only player beset by injury Wednesday, though, as Yunel Escobar was held out of the lineup with an 103-degree fever while Michael Taylor was also relegated to the bench due to problems with his knee.