As expected, Mike Morse (elbow) is not in the Nationals' Friday evening lineup. Brian Bixler will start in Morse's place at first base, while Jonny Gomes will bat cleanup. If this lineup is any indication, the Nats cannot afford to lose Morse for anything more than a handful of games. Thankfully, all signs are pointing to his absence being a short one.

Mike Morse (bruised elbow) isn't likely to miss more than one or two games. The disabled list does not appear to even be a possibility. It's quite possible Morse could end up missing the Nats' entire weekend series with the Phillies, but he should be a safe start in weekly leagues on Monday.

Mike Morse has been diagnosed with a left elbow contusion. Morse suffered the bruise Thursday when he was hit on the elbow by a Ryan Dempster pitch. He's likely to miss a couple of games but should ultimately avoid the disabled list. The 29-year-old first baseman is hitting .319 with a .924 OPS and 20 homers in 106 games this season.

Mike Morse was sent to a local hospital after Thursday's game for an MRI on his left arm. Morse was removed from Thursday afternoon's game against the Cubs after getting struck near his left elbow by a Ryan Dempster pitch. Nats manager Davey Johnson hinted to the media that the injury might be serious.

Mike Morse was pulled from Thursday's game against the Cubs after being hit in the arm by a pitch. The Ryan Dempster delivery struck Morse in the area of his left elbow. He doubled over in pain when he got to first base and was holding his arm against his body while trainers escorted him off the field. The productive outfielder may have simply suffered a stinger. Or it could be something far worse.

Mike Morse doubled twice and notched his 59th RBI in Washington's win over the Mets on Sunday. Morse ended up homering just twice in July after going deep eight times in June and six times in May, but still hit a robust .344. The homers will start coming in bunches again if he keeps swinging this hot of a stick.

Mike Morse hit his first home run in 15 games on Monday, helping the Nationals to a 5-2 victory in Houston. Morse finished his night 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Although Morse had yet to go deep this month coming into this evening, he's still batting a rock solid .340 through his first 47 July at-bats.

Mike Morse returned to action on Wednesday July 6.

Mike Morse (forearm) is back in the Nationals' starting lineup Wednesday against the Cubs. Morse hasn't started since Saturday due to a left forearm contusion. He'll bat fifth Wednesday against right-hander Randy Wells.

Mike Morse returned to action on Tuesday July 5.