Washington Nationals News: Denard Span takes step forward in recovery
By Pablo Roa
Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, James Wagner of the Washington Post gives us an update on the injury status of Nationals center fielder Denard Span. According to Wagner, Span continues to make progress in his recovery from a back injury that he’s been dealing with for most of the season.
As Wagner writes in his article, Span has resumed full baseball activities for the first time since suffering a setback in his rehab program last week. Span has been on the disabled list since July 7 with the injury and had started participating in baseball activities prior to the setback.
Given Span’s injury record this season, it’s probably a good idea to take the center fielder’s recent progress with a grain of salt. The Nationals’ lineup desperately needs his bat back in the lineup, but he won’t be able to contribute the way the Nationals need him to contribute until he’s completely healthy.
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Hopefully for the Nationals, Span’s recovery continues to progress without any setbacks from here on out and the center fielder can return to the leadoff spot sooner, rather than later. The team’s playoff chances appear to be dwindling by the day, and a healthy Span in the lineup for the stretch run might be exactly what the Nationals need to get their groove back.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Alex Smith discusses the recent dominance of Nationals prospects Reynaldo Lopez and Wilmer Difo.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Injury updates: Bryce Harper’s left knee better; Denard Span takes a step forward
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
The swelling in Bryce Harper’s left knee has reduced significantly, Nationals Manager Matt Williams said, enough for the right fielder to return to the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers after sitting out a game.
Harper banged his knee hard on a diving play in the eighth inning of Monday’s game. He still finished the game but received medical treatment Tuesday on the knee, which underwent surgery after the 2013 season. Read full article here.
Lopez, Difo among 10 top prospect performers Wednesday
Two top Nationals prospects flashed their best stuff on Wednesday, with No. 4 prospect Reynaldo Lopez contributing his best start of the year for Class A Advanced Potomac and No. 5 prospect Wilmer Difo putting on a hitting clinic for Double-A Harrisburg.
Lopez was brilliant in an 8-2 win over Winston-Salem. The 21-year-old right-hander fanned a career-high 11 batters while surrendering just two hits and no walks in seven shutout innings. The performance gave him his first win in exactly one month and cut his ERA from 4.55 to 4.22. He stands at 6-7 after 18 starts for the P-Nats. Read full article here.
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