When Rick Ankiel returns from the D.L. the Nationals will have a couple decisions to make:

1. Does Ankiel reclaim his starting role?

2. Does Roger Bernadina get sent down?

3. If Bernadina stays up with the team who gets designated? Matt Stairs or Brian Bixler

My answers:

1. No Ankiel doesn’t deserve to be handed the job.

2. No Bernadina deserves a fulltime shot in CF, because if he can’t cut it, the Nats need to make the position a priority at the trade deadline/offseason.

3. I say Stairs, I know Bixler hasn’t done much since he has been brought up but Stairs hasn’t done anything either. Stairs might be more feared, but he is weak option as a backup 1B/LF, where as Bixler can play every position on the diamond. He is also RH which is fairly unique among non-starters for the Nationals, and can also be a pinch runner. I think he offers more to the Nationals over the course of the season and should be the option.

I agree with your take on this 100% and hope the Nats front office does too! lol
I really like this group we have and can’t wait for Ryan Zimmerman to get back and our young guns to get up here b/c I think we’re onto something. I really would like to see the team hang in the NL Wildcard race deep into the summer, but I think we will be a real contender starting next season if all goes according to plan. What do you think?

I agree the future looks bright. I hope they will be able to make some smart trades this year, and maybe land a young CF prospect (still not 100% sold on Bernadina) and a 1B prospect for the future, but otherwise things look good.