Nationals' Werth: 'My goal is to be back with the club August 1'

Jayson Werth has battled a litany of injuries to his left wrist in recent years, suffering two ligament tears back in 2006 that threatened his career before undergoing surgery in 2012 to repair a fracture.

Werth's troublesome left wrist forced him to the disabled list yet again on May 19 - four days after he was struck by a 92-mph fastball - but the 36-year-old hopes to be back on the field for the Washington Nationals shortly after the All-Star break.

"My goal is to be back with the club August 1," Werth told James Wagner of the Washington Post. "Whether it's realistic or not I don't know. Everyone heals at their own rate. I've been assured that when it stops hurting I'll be good to go. I'll let pain be my guide."

An initial X-ray on Werth's wrist came back negative, but the former All-Star continued to experience soreness and swelling, prompting a CT scan that revealed two small fractures. Though his wrist will remain mostly immobilized for the next four weeks, Werth was relieved the errant pitch didn't damage any ligaments or tendons.

"If it was a ligament or tendon issue, which I've never had, or any more damage to the (triangular fibrocartilage complex), it'd be a lot more concerning," Werth said. "This is just a little bump in the road. I'll be fine. I'll be at 100 percent. I think the silver lining in the whole thing is that it's giving my shoulder more time to heal. I was starting to feel good when this happened and I think I would have been fine. I know I'll be fine when I come off the DL this time. If there is a silver lining, and I'm not one of those people who needs a silver lining, I know I've got, in the end, 8-to-10 weeks of continued rehab and training so that when I come off the DL I'll be a pretty good player."

Werth opened the season on the disabled list after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. He's hitting .208/.294/.287 (61 OPS+) with two home runs and 25 strikeouts in 27 games.