UPDATE: Denard Span has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, according to Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports' HardballTalk.
The Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals suffered losses in their outfield this week due to serious injuries.
Alex Gordon injured his groin during Wednesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays and was diagnosed with a grade-two-plus strain, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. The injury is expected to keep him out of action for eight weeks.
Gordon was chasing down a line drive hit by Rays' second baseman Logan Forsythe and crashed into the wall. He remained on the ground while Lorenzo Cain backed him up and fielded the ball. Check it out in the video below provided by MLB.com:
The MLB's best defense will take a big hit with Gordon's loss, even with solid depth behind him. His offense was also starting to get hot and his seven-hit day on Tuesday upped his stat line to .279/.394/.457 with 32 runs scored, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 78 games.
"Veteran scouts say this is the best defensive team they've seen in 50 years and a lot of scouts will tell you Alex Gordon is the best defensive left fielder they've ever seen," Bob Nightengale of USA Today said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast.
The Royals remain atop the American League, but Gordon's prolonged absence could affect their current standing.
In Washington, the Nationals can't seem to shake the injury bug. Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg are all dealing with injuries, and now outfielder Denard Span will miss at least a week with back spasms, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.
Span, who had already missed about the first month of the season as he recovered from surgery on his abdomen, will travel to Dallas to see a specialist on Thursday and undergo an MRI. The 31-year-old was forced to leave Monday's gam e with back spasms and has been out of the lineup ever since. He's batting .304/.367/.430 with 37 runs scored, 5 home runs, 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 59 games this season.
The Nationals hold a three-game lead over the New York Mets in the NL East, but they'll need to get healthy if they hope to pull away and maintain a comfortable cushion.
Kansas City and Washington have enough talent to stay competitive, but these losses are still significant.
