Nationals' Ryan Raburn: Making spring debut

Raburn (side) will start in left field and bat sixth in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Raburn was initially slated to play in the Nationals' exhibition opener Feb. 23 against the Astros, but he was scratched from the lineup with side tightness and has been sidelined ever since. After nearly two weeks off to recover, Raburn looks to be sufficiently healthy, as illustrated by the Nationals' decision to immediately deploy him in the outfield rather than as a designated hitter. In any case, Raburn was always on the outside looking in for an Opening Day roster spot, so the time he has already missed this spring may have been enough to spoil his chances.