Ryan Zimmerman faces challenge of staying healthy in 2016

On Sept. 3, the Nationals were still in striking distance of the Mets for the division lead and the offense was finally clicking with Ryan Zimmerman in the midst of a red-hot streak. At that point, Zimmerman, who had played 34 fewer games than Bryce Harper, had driven in 71 runs, just eight behind the eventual National League MVP's team-leading 79 RBIs.

Four days later, an oblique strain ended Zimmerman's season.

"If I can stay on the field, I can be productive," Zimmerman said on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" on Tuesday. "I think I had a lot of RBI chances last year and was able to take advantage of those. I feel like if I can play 145, 150 games, then I'm still capable of doing what I know I can do."

The problem is, Zimmerman hasn't come close to reaching those goals the past two seasons. Hamstring issues limited the 31-year-old to just 61 games in 2014 and last year he only made it on the field for 95 game, battling plantar fasciitis in this left foot before straining his oblique.

"It's almost like a new challenge or a way for me to prove myself again - that's what I'm looking forward to," Zimmerman said on MLB Network. "I think a lot of people are starting to wonder if I'm gonna be able to play full seasons and maybe I'm injury-prone or too old and gonna start getting hurt all the time. You know, it's a new part of my career where I kind of have to prove those people wrong again. And I'm looking forward to that."

Zimmerman struggled at the plate in the first half of the year, slashing just .209/.265/.346 with five homers and 34 RBIs while battling his foot problems that eventually sent him to the disabled list on June 10.

But following his return from the DL on July 28, Zimmerman caught fire. He batted .311/.372/.652 with 11 homers, 13 doubles and 21 runs scored over his final 39 games. Zimmerman's 39 RBIs in the second half were one more than Harper and MVP finalist Joey Votto, despite having at least 100 fewer at-bats than both sluggers.

With Harper as an on-base machine batting in front of him in the lineup, Zimmerman could put up career-best offensive numbers in 2016 - if he plays. He's working on getting his body ready for the grind.

"I tell a joke with all my buddies and they joke me about how I'm transitioning into my old man workout phase," Zimmerman said on MLB Network. "Where it takes longer to get ready to work out and do the little exercises than it actually does to work out. So I'm kind of learning that."

Zimmerman said he spent some time talking to his old Tidewater, Va., buddy, 36-year-old Michael Cuddyer of the Mets, about aging in the game.

"He said right around 31, 32 is where he kind of had to change things up," Zimmerman said on MLB Network. "That's the great thing about baseball, you always have to evolve. And you always have to learn new things to stay better and stay on top of your game, and that's sort of where I'm at right now.

"It's challenging. Those two- and three-pound weights will make you sweat and cuss just as much as the big weights did about five or 10 years ago."

Zimmerman spent Monday alongside wife Heather and members of the Nationals front office staff preparing Thanksgiving dinners at Food and Friends, a local non-profit that provides home-delivered meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses in the D.C. area.

"It's a great foundation that they have run over there, and it's the least I can do to help out people," Zimmerman said on MLB Network.