Denard Span undergoes surgery for sports hernia

Oct 6, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder

(2) hits a single during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia that he suffered during the 2014 season, the team announced Wednesday.

According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, Span suffered the injury towards the end of the season but it was not severe enough to cause him to miss any games. Span did not show any signs of the injury and played regularly down the stretch, including the NLDS against the Giants. But after Span’s condition did not improve on its own early in the offseason, he underwent surgery to fix the problem.

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“It wasn’t where I needed to be,” Span told MLB.com. “After six weeks [this offseason], I should be able to play in a game.”

Span is coming off a career-year with the Nationals in which he had a team-best .302 batting average and set a Nationals record with 184 hits. The speedy leadoff hitter also stole a career-high 30 bases and was nominated for a Gold Glove award in center field.

There was some concern among Nationals fans early Wednesday morning after Span sent a tweet that said, “Moments like this is what shows you what you’re made of,” which led some fans to wonder if he was alright. A few hours later, however, he tweeted a picture of himself smiling and giving fans a thumbs-up from the hospital bed.

Span is expected to be ready for Spring Training.