Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman looks healthy and ready to play ball. The triples-machine has been seeing regular playing as of late after a slow start to his spring and is doing well. He is recovering from right shoulder surgery to repair and appears to be doing well. He’s improving his velocity on his throws and is looking to get back into the hunt to be the Nationals’ starting shortstop when Opening Day comes around.

His main competition for the position is Ian Desmond, who is ahead of Guzman in the race. Guzman’s numbers have suffered due to the injury, batting just .233 with seven hits and four RBI. He has one home run and one triple. Desmond is hitting .300 with 15 hits and 12 RBI, also with a homer and a triple, but has five doubles to add to his stat sheet. Guzman has some work to do if he wants the position.

Guzman is an 11-year veteran. He spent his first six seasons with Minnesota before moving to Washington in 2005. A shoulder injury forced him to miss the 2006 season. In his career he’s a .271 hitter and has compiled 1,362 hits with 226 doubles and 60 home runs. He has 441 RBI and scored 679 runs. As a shortstop, he has a career .970 fielding percentage, with a high of .983 in 2004. He was chosen to be an All-Star in 2001 and 2008.

If Guzman is chosen as the shortstop, Desmond will likely wind up in Triple-A where he’ll see every day playing time. If Desmond is selected, Guzman will stay in Washington as a utility player. He’ll have to quickly learn to play other infield positions. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman will have to make a choice soon. The season starts in a couple of weeks and it will only be fair to make a choice much before then.