Washington Nationals: Could Daniel Murphy be ready for Opening Day?

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy underwent knee surgery shortly after the 2017 season, which requires extensive rehab. Could he be ready for Opening Day?

The major league season is a grind, and many players are playing through various injuries all year, which was the case for Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy in 2017. Nobody knew it at the time, but it was revealed shortly after the Nats were eliminated that Murphy had been playing through a knee injury that required surgery.

On October 20, Murphy underwent microfracture surgery to repair damage to the articular cartilage in his right knee. While this is not necessarily a major surgery, there is some cause for concern.

Recovery from microfracture surgery typically ranges from six months to a year. You can do the math and figure out that six months of recovery after surgery in October would conclude sometime in April, right around Opening Day.

The type of surgery that Murphy underwent is not very common among baseball players, but Justin Turner underwent the same surgery two years ago. He had surgery on almost the same exact date, October 21, and was on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster come April.

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Turner’s surgery and recovery can be used as a benchmark, but each individual case is unique, and Murphy’s recovery may differ from Turner’s. Due to the various factors that can affect recovery time, the Nats have been fairly ambiguous when discussing a timetable for Murphy’s return.

However, we received some clarity over the weekend during Nationals Winterfest. Murphy attended the event, but relied on crutches to maneuver around. During the media-focused section of the event, both Murphy and manager Dave Martinez addressed Murphy’s recovery.

Murphy said that his recovery is going well, but he would not commit to any timetable for return. Martinez, on the other hand, said that Murphy’s rehab is going as planned, and he is on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Obviously, having Murphy back for Opening Day would be great for the Nats. He has been named an All-Star, along with winning the National League Silver Slugger Award, in each of his two seasons with the Nats.

However, the Nats should not rush Murphy back. The NL East is among the weakest divisions in the league, and the Nats are the overwhelming favorites to win the division for the third consecutive season. Murphy is not necessarily needed in the regular season, but is crucial in October.

If Murphy is forced to miss some time, which appears to be somewhat probable, the Nats are well-prepared to handle his absence. Wilmer Difo broke out as a productive back-up infielder in 2017, and is more than capable of handling second base duties while Murphy recovers. Difo is also presumably Murphy’s heir at second base, so this could give the Nats a glimpse into the future.

Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that a six-month recovery would conclude sometime in April, meaning Murphy is forced to miss Spring Training. Even if he is able to resume baseball activities by Opening Day, he will need to go through something similar to Spring Training and gear up for the season.

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There certainly is a chance that Murphy could be on the Nats’ Opening Day roster, as we saw with Turner in 2016, but there is no need to rush his recovery. If his recovery allows for it and he is prepared to play by Opening Day, then there is no point in holding him back, but it is better to be safe than sorry. If Murphy is not on the Nats’ Opening Day roster, which is a definite possibility, it is not the end of the world.