Thursday night when the Nationals placed center fielder Denard Span on the disabled list they indicated that he was unlikely to play again this season due to a left hip injury and now it’s official: Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Span will undergo season-ending surgery.
Span will end up missing a total of 101 games this season due to multiple injuries, but when healthy enough to be in the lineup he hit .301 with five homers and a .796 OPS for his best production since 2009.
It’s particularly rough timing because Span is a 31-year-old impending free agent who would likely have a robust market and plenty of big long-term offers waiting for him if not for the injuries.
Michael Taylor has filled in for Span at various times and will do so again now, although the rookie exited Thursday’s game after crashing into the outfield fence. If the Nationals fail to re-sign Span this offseason they figure to hand the full-time center field job to Taylor in 2016.