MIAMI -- When the Nationals signed 11-year veteran Corey Dickerson to a one-year, $2.25 million deal in January, it was for two reasons: He¡¯s a left fielder, and he¡¯s a left-handed hitter. Both were big question marks for the club entering the offseason.

But Washington missed out on Dickerson¡¯s bat for the first month of the season after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list after just two games with a left calf strain.

Dickerson came off the IL on Monday, but the Nationals wanted to wait to get him in the lineup until they faced a right-hander. That day finally came in the form of Wednesday night¡¯s 4-3 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park. The game was, in many ways, a win for Dickerson, though.

Hitting sixth, Dickerson took the first pitch he saw from Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera for a ball, then set his sights on a 96.7 mph sinker middle-in. He demolished it. A no-doubter as soon as the ball left his bat (at a Statcast-projected 109 mph), Dickerson made his first hit of the season count. He belted a two-run homer to the upper deck in right-center field. The ball went a projected 432 feet.

¡°It felt like Opening Day for me,¡± Dickerson said. ¡°To get the first hit, the first homer kind of out of the way was pretty cool. But it all goes [back to] the training staff -- [they] did such a good job getting me back. You know, they really cared and put in the effort and time and I'm pretty appreciative to them.¡±

¡°That was awesome,¡± manager Dave Martinez said. ¡°Having him come out like that and hit a ball that hard, that was awesome. I'm happy for him. He's waited a long time to get back in the lineup and it's good to see that he's healthy -- he's gonna help us.¡±

Dickerson wasn¡¯t done, though. The outfielder -- who is just working as a designated hitter for now while the Nationals ease him back into the running side of the game -- yanked a leadoff single to right field in the seventh. He moved to third with ease after Ildemaro Vargas singled (and the Marlins made a throwing error), then came home on an RBI groundout from Alex Call.

And as Washington attempted a ninth-inning rally, Dickerson reached base on a fielder¡¯s choice.

¡°I try not to catch up to the other guys,¡± Dickerson said. ¡°I'm one hundred-and-something at-bats away from those guys, so I try not to get five hits in one at-bat and understand that it might take a little bit of time. I think I got eight at-bats down there in the Minor Leagues. [I just need] to be ready to hit, make sure my timing's good and start adjusting and letting the game come to me. But that's the big thing -- don't try to do too much too early.¡±

There are numerous people in the Nationals' organization who Dickerson credits with his smooth return to play. He¡¯s adamant that it was a group effort, that his home run wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the support and encouragement of the training staff and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, who continuously bolstered Dickerson¡¯s confidence and built him up.

But there¡¯s one former teammate whose advice may have had the biggest impact.

¡°I remember [Albert] Pujols telling me to hit a lot off the machine,¡± Dickerson said. ¡°If you can hit the machine and train your eyes and train your body to still react to high velocity, you'll be fine when you come back. I still remember that today, and he's one of the greatest hitters to ever do it. So just trying to get the work in and trust myself.¡±