Ryan Zimmerman is not in the Washington Nationals lineup for the second straight day Sunday. He is dealing with what he and his manager have called “stiffness” and “soreness” at various times since Friday night, when he injured himself on an awkward dive.

Zimmerman does not seem at all concerned about the trouble, and said he expects to be available Monday night in San Diego, barring any setbacks. “Barring any setbacks” has once again become an important clause for this team, since setbacks seem more like the norm than the exception these days.

“I would hope by tomorrow I’ll be good to go, but I’m just kind of being cautious at the same time,” Zimmerman said. “ … Nothing terrible, just a couple things banged up.”

The 33-year-old indicated the injury was more bruiselike than muscular, not a pull or a strain. His backup first baseman, Matt Adams, is hitting .318 with four homers in his last seven games. The Nationals can afford to rest Zimmerman, who was struggling and could probably use time to reset mentally, anyway.

Still, another lingering injury would create another soft spot in this lineup and further undermine confidence in initially positive prognoses such as Zimmerman’s. Anthony Rendon and Adam Eaton’s lingering injuries did some of that undermining already. Rendon reported a bone bruise, though he actually had a tiny fracture in the tip of his big toe — a distinction that feels bigger on the outside than it is internally, since the fracture was so small it might as well have been a severe bone bruise, according to people familiar with the injury.

Eaton initially felt as positive about his ankle bruise as Zimmerman does about his “banged up” parts, but has not played since mid-April because of it. He was in a walking boot for weeks, and has avoided answering questions about what the team says is a severe bone bruise in his ankle. Asked to comment about it Sunday morning, Eaton — who went out of his way to make time for reporters at regular intervals during his lengthy anterior cruciate ligament recovery — said simply “no, thank you.”

Daniel Murphy’s rehabilitation from knee surgery continues to drag on, too. The difference between Murphy’s long absence and that of Eaton or Rendon, however, is that the Nationals avoided providing a timetable at all. Only recently did Dave Martinez reveal that the best case scenario had been a six-month recovery, which only would have Murphy a week or so behind.

The veteran second baseman is currently dealing with muscle weakness and soreness around the knee that has prevented him from running, though he has been able to hit and field and throw. Then again, Murphy has not hit and thrown and fielded on the field with his teammates since last week, though Martinez said he is continuing to engage in baseball activities. Murphy and Eaton will both accompany the Nationals on the West Coast trip that begins Monday.

Given the evolution of Eaton and Rendon’s seemingly small problems, Martinez admitted that the possibility that any injury could be something worse than initially believed “lingers in the brain for sure.”

“But these guys understand that they want to play. They’ll come up to me and try to — I know when they’re hiding stuff, and that’s part of having communication with them every day,” Martinez said. “Howie [Kendrick] today, wanted to play. I told him, hey, you need a day. We need to give you a day to keep you fresh, healthy, and keep your legs good. So he’s getting a day.”

Kendrick and Zimmerman will rest behind Max Scherzer Sunday afternoon, though Martinez indicated Zimmerman would be available to pinch hit in an emergency.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (17-17)

Bryce Harper RF

Trea Turner SS

Anthony Rendon 3B

Matt Adams 1B

Matt Wieters C

Andrew Stevenson LF

Michael A. Taylor CF

Max Scherzer P

Wilmer Difo 3B

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (18-14)

Cesar Hernandez 2B

Rhys Hoskins LF

Odubel Herrera CF

Aaron Altherr RF

Carlos Santana 1B

Maikel Franco 3B

Pedro Florimon SS

Jorge Alfaro C

Jake Arrieta P