Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon sprained his MCL early in March and has been held out of action ever since. Unfortunately, the injury hasn't been healing in the expected manner, so the team needs expert medical advice.
Rendon is expected to get a third opinion on his injured left knee, according to ESPN. The 24-year-old is scheduled to meet with Dr. Steven Singleton in Vail Colorado this week after visiting Dr. James Andrews on Monday, who confirmed the initial diagnosis of a sprained medical collateral ligament (MCL).
The team originally believed it was a bruised knee, but the swelling and pain persisted for a few days following the injury. Rendon then underwent an MRI and it revealed a sprained MCL. Manager Matt Williams said it was very mild, but at this point that doesn't seem to be the case because the third baseman has yet to get back on the field since March 9.
"We're just trying to make sure we cover all bases and everybody gets a chance to take a look at it and develop a course of action from today on," Williams said regarding the third opinion.
"Everything is stable," Williams added via The Washington Times. "All tests are such that it is stable. There's nothing that either of the doctors have seen that is glaring, other than they've said the same thing, that it's a sprain of that ligament."
It's not promising that he needs numerous opinions from various medical experts because it makes it seem as if the injury is worse than originally believed. Although professional medical diagnoses suggest MCL sprains don't have a concrete timetable and that athletes can return to action once they are pain-free and feel they have full mobility, this has been a fairly long time considering how Williams stressed the sprain was "very mild."
"The fact that we just don't know what kind of time frame Anthony's on, we have to look at all of the options that we have," Williams said.
The incumbent candidates include Ian Stewart, Danny Espinosa and Yunel Escobar. Stewart and Espinosa have already taken reps there and Escobar has offered to expand his defensive versatility by playing the hot corner.
General manager Mike Rizzo implied the team is not going to panic with their recent slew of injuries and will solve the vacancies in-house. If Rendon is out for a significant amount of time, whoever is taking over at third will have some big shoes to fill.