Rick Ankiel was held out of the Nationals' lineup Tuesday because of tightness in his left hamstring tightness. Ankiel is aiming to return to action on Thursday or Friday. The 32-year-old outfielder has a home run, a triple and a walk in seven Grapefruit League plate appearances.

Rick Ankiel homered and walked in Monday's 3-1 win over the Mets. Ankiel slugged a solo shot off Dillon Gee in the second and worked out a walk against prospect right-hander Matt Harvey in the fourth. The non-roster invitee will likely end up on the Opening Day roster if the Nats go the conservative route and put Bryce Harper in the minors to begin the season.

Nationals signed OF Rick Ankiel to a minor league contract. The deal comes with an invitation to Spring Training. Best case scenario for Ankiel is that he wins a platoon job in camp with Mike Cameron in center, which would knock Roger Bernadina to the bench and possibly off the roster. Worst case is that Washington moves Jayson Werth to center or trades a starting pitcher for another outfielder and Ankiel isn't able to crack the roster. We like his odds, but he won't be fantasy relevant outside of deep NL-only leagues. The 32-year-old batted .239/.296/.363 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a .659 OPS over 415 plate appearances with Washington last season.

The Nationals have re-signed Rick Ankiel to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Ankiel batted .239/.296/.363 with nine home runs and 37 RBI over 415 plate appearances last season, but didn't receive much interest on the open market and will now fight for a reserve role in Washington. Unless Washington deals from its surplus of starting pitching to acquire an additional outfielder, Ankiel figures to have a good chance of landing a spot on the big league roster.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Mets are still interested in acquiring a left-handed hitting outfielder. Heyman doesn't mention any specific names, but Rick Ankiel, Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon and Kosuke Fukudome are likely on their list. While the Mets don't have a ton of money to spend, they could end up with a pretty good bargain now that spring training is right around the corner.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Mets are "diligently monitoring" the market for left-handed hitting outfielders. Crasnick names Rick Ankiel, Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre in his report, although it's not clear if they are actually talking to those specific players. For what it's worth, the Mets have at least been linked to Ankiel in the past. There's a surplus among free agent hitters right now, so with spring training rapidly approaching, there's a good chance the Mets will get someone at a bargain rate.

According to the Washington Times, the Nationals have not ruled out bringing back free-agent Rick Ankiel. Ankiel batted .239/.296/.363 with nine home runs and 37 RBI over 415 plate appearances this past season, but hasn't received much interest on the open market. The 32-year-old will likely have to accept less money and a diminished role in order to return in 2012.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports that the Nationals have interest in re-signing Rick Ankiel. The Nationals haven't made any progress in their search for a center fielder, so a return for Ankiel at least remains a possibility. The 32-year-old batted .239/.296/.363 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a .659 OPS over 415 plate appearances with Washington this past season.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets could target Rick Ankiel for their center field job. That's assuming they wind up trading or non-tendering Angel Pagan, which is expected. Ankiel batted just .239/.296/.363 for the Nationals this season but did rate very well in defensive metrics and, of course, has a cannon for an arm. Martino says the Mets are looking to trim their payroll by $30 million, and they'd probably save about $4 million going from Pagan to Ankiel.

Rick Ankiel said Monday that he hopes to return to the Nationals next season. "I would like to comeback. It was a lot of fun," said Ankiel. "I think more than anything, as a player who has been around, you want to win and this organization is definitely going in that direction. Looking at what they have coming and what this team can be, it would be a lot of fun." Ankiel, 32, entered Monday's action with an underwhelming .243/.300/.369 batting line to go along with nine homers, 35 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a .670 OPS over 406 plate appearances this season. The Nationals are expected to be on the hunt for a center fielder and leadoff man, so the veteran outfielder will likely have to accept less money and a diminished role in order to return in 2012.