Anthony Rendon, Nationals seek second opinion on injured left knee after soreness lingers

JUPITER, Fla. — Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon visited renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews on Monday to get a second opinion on his injured left knee, manager Matt Williams said.

Rendon sprained the medial collateral ligament in the knee while diving for a ground ball on March 9. He had been working through lateral movement drills in recent days, but the soreness in his knee persisted and the team sent him to visit Andrews in his in Pensacola, Florida, office.

After Monday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Williams said he had not yet received a report from the visit.

“Right now, we’re looking at what Dr. Andrews sees and take the appropriate steps necessary,” Williams said. “Again, I have no results at this point, so to speculate at this point would be inaccurate at best. So, we’ll see what that is, we’ll get his report on what his findings are and we’ll go from there.”

General manager Mike Rizzo said it is common for the team to seek a second opinion on its injured players. He is not yet concerned about the severity of Rendon’s knee.

“Let’s see if it’s a concern when we hear back from the doctor,” he said.

Rendon won the National League Silver Slugger award at third base last season and finished fifth in the NL Most Valuable Player voting process. The 24-year-old hit .287 with 21 home runs and 87 RBI in his first full major-league season. He also led the NL with 111 runs scored.

Rendon is one of three starters unlikely to be available by Opening Day. The group also includes center fielder Denard Span, who had two abdominal surgeries in a span of four months, and left fielder Jayson Werth, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Casey Janssen and Nate McLouth are also considered question marks for the season-opener.

“They’re injuries that, knock on wood, we haven’t had any major, major setbacks of anybody that’s going to be out for extended periods of time,” Rizzo said. “So we’ll see when we start getting guys back. We think that we have the depth and talent level to weather these injuries until they get back.”