Zimmerman will start at first base and bat cleanup in Tuesday's season opener against Atlanta, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Coming out of spring training, Zimmerman had been expected to fill a short-side platoon role at first base, but he'll temporarily serve as an everyday player with Josh Bell among the nine players placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday. Bell is expected to remain in quarantine for at least 7-to-10 days before gaining clearance to rejoin the Nationals, so Zimmerman's time atop the depth chart at first base could be short-lived. The 36-year-old was one of the team's standout performers this spring, batting .481 with six home runs in 27 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.