After visiting with a back specialist Thursday, Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday afternoon with what the team described as back tightness.
Manager Matt Williams said the specialist found nothing structurally amiss in Span’s back. His disabled list stint is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning that he could miss only five games after the all-star break. The team is hopeful that will be the case.
“It’s good news,” Williams said. “The results of the MRI and the specialist he saw finds nothing alarming, which is good. We have to look at his history and the two surgeries he had this winter and say there’s some changes in there, so we have to address them.”
Span had surgery to repair a sports hernia in December and underwent a second surgery during spring training, this time on an abdominal muscle. He missed the first two weeks of the regular season because of the second surgery, then was later sidelined with back spasms. He exited a game June 7 because of the spasms, which have re-emerged sporadically in the month since.
Williams indicated that the surgeries and back spasms might be related. So Span, who will become a free agent this winter, will begin working through a new exercise regimen designed to build strength in his core.
“Structurally, there’s no reason for [the spasms],” Williams explained. “You can deduce and say, ’Well, he had two surgeries on his abdominal area this winter, and didn’t have spring training and it’s probably weaker than normal and we have to strengthen it.’ That’s kind of where we’re at.”
The Nationals also placed starter Jordan Zimmermann on the paternity list Friday.The right-hander’s wife, Mandy, gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Ava earlier in the day. Zimmermann is expected to rejoin the team and start Saturday, according to Williams.
Sunday’s starter has yet to be announced, but Williams said Max Scherzer is “an option.” Scherzer threw a bullpen session Friday and would be on normal rest Sunday, but making such a start would prevent him from pitching in next week’s All-Star Game, because of rules outlined in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Williams said he would announced Sunday’s starter on Saturday.
To fill those vacancies on their active roster, the Nationals reinstated Aaron Barrett from the disabled list and recalled infielder Wilmer Difo from Double-A Harrisburg. Barrett had been out because of a strained right bicep muscle.
Barrett’s return was one of several positive injury updates for the Nationals on Friday. Jayson Werth is in Viera, Florida, where he is continuing to swing a light bat. He also did “extensive outfield work” on Friday, another sign of progress. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman both took batting practice and fielded grounders with the team in Baltimore. Rendon also jogged in the outfield early Friday afternoon.
For a beleaguered Nationals lineup, each is a welcome update.
“[There’s] positive news on Aaron, that he feels good and his rehab starts were fine,” Williams said. “The positive news on Denard is a welcome sign. And the fact that the other three guys are out baseball activity doing stuff, it’s all positive news for us.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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