UPDATE: Denard Span will undergo season-ending hip surgery on Tuesday, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
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The Washington Nationals finally got back Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth recently. However, three others suffered injuries last night and could miss a good chunk of time, significantly affecting the team's depth.
Denard Span, Yunel Escobar and Michael Taylor were among those to go down for the Nationals on Thursday. The worst news pertains to Span, who has already missed much of the 2015 MLB season due to various injuries.
The veteran outfielder is likely to miss the remainder of the season due to inflammation in his left hip, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Span suffered the injury in his attempt to return from his lower back issue that sidelined him for seven weeks.
James Wagner of the Washington Post reported that Span will head to the disabled list on Friday, just three days after he was activated following his prolonged absence.
"It's unclear right now," manager Matt Williams said during following the team's win over the San Diego Padres. "I would imagine it's going to be very tough for him to get back."
As for Escobar and Taylor, the two suffered contusions on Thursday night. Escobar was hit on the hand by a pitch from Padres' starter Andrew Cashner while Taylor crashed into the outfield wall when trying to track down a fly ball hit by Melvin Upton Jr.
Escobar left in the sixth inning and was said to have a right hand contusion. Taylor left in the seventh and his right knee contusion appears to be more serious.
However, both will be re-evaluated on Friday and are listed as day-to-day at this point, Wagner added.
With Span and Taylor out, the Nationals need to figure how they are going to fill the void in center field. Williams moved Bryce Harper to center and Danny Espinosa to left when Taylor went down in the seventh because Span was unavailable.
Escobar's injury also affects their infield depth. Rookie Trea Turner replaced Espinosa at second base and it's possible he becomes a primary infield option. Ryan Zimmerman (first base), Ian Desmond (shortstop) and Anthony Rendon (third base) will be picking up much of the slack if Escobar misses a significant amount of time.
The Nationals trail the New York Mets by 6.5 games in the NL East and these latest injuries do not help their case for a late-season playoff push.
