Opening day is still more than three weeks away, but Nationals fans can be forgiven if they express a bit of concern over the state of their team's roster these days.
The team announced Friday morning that third baseman Anthony Rendon will need "a few more days" to rest his ailing left knee, joining a growing list of marquee players on the shelf in Viera, Fla.
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Rendon hurt his knee Monday while making a diving play on a ball and was originally in the lineup for Tuesday's game before being scratched. Manager Matt Williams had said he expected Rendon back in the lineup by Friday, but an MRI exam Thursday indicated last season's breakout star had suffered a mild MCL sprain.
“We’ll shut him down for a few days, make sure he’s good,” Williams told reporters, via the Washington Post. “It is what it is. We’ll just make sure we take care of it. In the next week or so, he’ll get back playing, but it’s just an odd injury.”
If that timetable holds, there should be no reason for concern about Rendon. But the way things have gone for the Nats recently, you never know.
The team announced earlier this week that center fielder Denard Span had undergone surgery on a core muscle; he is expected to miss four to six weeks. Left fielder Jayson Werth's status for opening day is also in doubt as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. New second baseman Yunel Escobar has been sidelined with an oblique strain.