Q: Now that Nick Johnson is further along in his rehab, any guess as to when he'll be ready to rejoin the Nats? -- Jason Hankey, Silver Spring

A: The club still isn't putting any official timetable on it, but I'm starting to think it could be sooner than we all thought. If you had asked me on the first day of spring training, I'd have said there was no way Johnson would be back before the All-Star break (and I wouldn't have been stunned if he didn't play this season at all).

But Nick has made some significant strides since then. He's now running full-speed, doing agility drills, playing catch and hitting balls off his knees. He's still got a long way to go, and it's going to take time for him to get his baseball skills back, but maybe (just maybe) we could see him before mid-July.

Q: How has the pickup of Dmitri Young affected the Nats' clubhouse so far this season? I would think having a veteran like Young around would be beneficial for a team as young as Washington. -- Shane, D.C.

A: You're right: Young has had a positive influence on the Nationals' clubhouse, which may come as a surprise to some (considering his off-the-field issues from last year). But Young has always been a popular and respected player among his peers, and he takes his role of clubhouse leader seriously.

I also think this offseason humbled him. After getting released by the Tigers and finding out he has diabetes, Young was forced to swallow his pride and accept a minor-league deal to come to spring training in Viera. He wound up embracing the whole thing and using his month at minor-league camp to get to know some of the young prospects in the system and take them under his wing.

At the time, the Young singing looked questionable. These days, it looks like a brilliant move.