NEW YORK — Second baseman Daniel Murphy was activated by the Washington Nationals before Tuesday's series opener at the New York Yankees and is set to make his season debut, batting fifth as the designated hitter.

The 33-year-old, an All-Star in three of the previous four seasons, missed the first 64 games while recovering from right knee surgery on Oct. 20. He hit .243 (9 for 37) with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and six walks in 10 games during an injury rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Harrisburg.

"We have to definitely have open lines of communication. I told him that. He's got to be totally honest with me, and I'm going to be honest with him," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "If I think he needs a day, he's going to get a day off. He knows that. So we've got to be real careful. We want him to play. We also want him to play for the rest of the year."

Murphy hit .322 with 43 doubles, 23 homers and 93 RBIs in 144 games last year.

Washington optioned infielder Adrian Sanchez to Triple-A Syracuse.

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