Notes: Castro's versatility; Scherzer's workout

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Starlin Castro had been looking forward to this opportunity. If his former bench coach with the Cubs, Dave Martinez, ever became a manager, he would want to play for him -- a message he had told Martinez.

That moment was realized when Castro signed with the Nationals on Jan. 7. Five years since they last worked together in Chicago, they were reunited on the defending World Series champion team.

“Saw Starlin this morning,” Martinez said Sunday. “He said, 'We're back!' because I had him before. I said, 'Here we are, here we are. Good to see you.' He looks great.”

The Nationals will look to Castro to bring versatility to the infield. Over his 10-year career, he has played 850 games at shortstop, 564 at second base and 45 at third (all last season with the Marlins). Washington has not named its starting third baseman -- Carter Kieboom will get a chance to earn the job -- and the team sees its flexible options as a strength. Castro has a cumulative .969 fielding percentage.

“I'm excited to see him this spring and get him out there and let him play some second base,” Martinez said. “Because he's one guy that -- you put his name in the lineup, you don't care where he hits or what he does and he just goes and plays.”

Whether it’s second, shortstop or third, Castro’s ready to embrace wherever he’s assigned.

“I just expect to do good. That’s all I expect,” he said. “I’m going to prepare. If you want me to play at third, if you want me to play at second, I just expect to be there, to try to keep myself healthy and just play hard and do my best everyday.”

Last season, Castro hit .270/.300/.436 with 172 hits and 22 home runs for Miami, appearing in all 162 games for the second time in his career. While he’s been in the Major Leagues since 2010, he still has room to grow. Castro doesn’t even turn 30 until March 24.

“I kept telling everybody, 'With Starlin, when he comes up close in person, he's bigger than you think,’” Martinez said. “Everybody said, 'Oh my God, he's big.' I said, 'Yeah. He's a big, tall kid.'

“I said, 'Remember, he's 29 years old. He's got a lot of baseball yet, and I think he finally realized who he could be.'”

Who’s the opener?

The Nationals have not announced an Opening Day starter, but Max Scherzer would like to be on the mound for their first Spring Training game on Saturday against the Astros.

“He’s definitely on schedule,” Martinez said. “We’ll see. He’s going to throw a live BP in a couple of days, and then we’ll go from there. But yeah, he’s adamant about being the first guy out there.”

As for the regular season, Martinez said the Nats “haven’t made that decision yet.”

Scherzer threw off the mound again on Sunday, keeping with his pitch count of 56. After going through his workout, which included running laps around the warning track, he paused to meet with fans before leaving the fields.

Stephen Strasburg also was on the mound, but not to throw. He went through a series of exercises which Martinez calls “baseball yoga,” a practice he does between starts. The movements help Strasburg improve his balance and body control.

Welcome back

The position players officially report to FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Monday for the first full-squad workout on Tuesday. Many of them already have arrived, including Victor Robles, Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick and Eric Thames. Others, like Adam Eaton, have been in Florida working out.

“My biggest thing is getting our work in, getting our individual work and group sessions in for four days and cover what we need to cover,” Martinez said. “We still got all of Spring Training to get everything done. With that being said, I've talked to a lot of them and they all seem anxious and ready to go.”