Ryan Zimmerman will see some time at first base with the Washington Nationals because of an arthritic right shoulder that has limited his ability to throw.

Zimmerman has been Washington's primary third baseman for the last eight seasons.

"We have to look at Ryan, though, and say, 'Would I like Ryan to play third? Yeah, I would. For a long time? Yes,'" Matt Williams said in an interview with 106.7 The Fan. "But the fact of the matter is, Ryan's got an arthritic shoulder.

"It gives him problems, and sometimes it's tough on him. So we've started to do some things at first base with him, where we can give him a break sometimes."

Zimmerman underwent an MRI on the shoulder, but no structural issues were detected.

The 29-year-old has not played a game at first base in his nine-plus years with Washington.