Williams on Span's hip surgery; Taylor "thankful" knee is OK; Escobar update

Nationals manager Matt Williams reported that center fielder Denard Span is out for the season because he will have to undergo surgery on Tuesday.

"He's going to have left hip surgery, it's a labrum surgery," Williams said. "He has some damage in there that needs to get fixed."

Span has dealt with core surgery recovery, his back and now his hip. Were the Nationals given any answer as to how this latest injury occurred?

"Don't know. Don't know how it happens," Williams said. "This game we play is not conducive to any of those joints, whether it's your shoulder, your elbow, your hips, your back. It's all rotational (and) at times it can be damaging. So he's going to get it fixed and go from there.

"He's had some hip pain. That type of pain is all connected. Hip, back, stomach, abdominal. Those tests were taken and it showed the need to have it repaired."

Span has battled back three times this season and now he faces another recovery that will go into the offseason. From a personal standpoint, Williams said it can be easy for Span with this latest setback.

"It's been frustrating for him, difficult for him," Williams said. "But it is what it is and that's the way he looks at it, too. The abdominal thing over the winter time didn't allow him to start as planned. The one in spring training pushed him back. The back issues he had during the season put a hiccup in his season and now this. It's not easy. But he's optimistic that this will take care of any issues that he's got. Come next season, he'll be ready to play."

Span was good when he played this season. In his last game Wednesday night, Span had two doubles and scored a run. He batted .301 in 246 at-bats this season with 17 doubles, 11 stolen bases, five homers and 22 RBIs.

"It's pretty impressive that given everything he's gone through that he was productive as he was," Williams said.

So will Span, a pending free agent, be back next season?

"We got to get through this year first," Williams said. "Right now, we're concentrating on games that we have remaining. We'll deal with that at the appropriate time."

The news was better for center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who crashed into the wall and suffered a right knee contusion in Thursday's game against the Padres.

"Feeling a lot better," Taylor said. "It was pretty sore last night when I came out of the game, but I feel pretty good today. I think the video was worse than it really was. I banged my knee pretty good when I went into the wall, but luckily nothing was broken and torn."

Taylor raced toward the wall in the seventh inning looking to catch a Melvin Upton Jr. drive.

"I knew where it was. I just was going for the ball, I knew I was going to hit it," Taylor said. "It's never soft when you hit it. Once in high-A, I had a similar situation, I wasn't as lucky then, I spent some time on the DL. It's part of it - you go for the baseball and sometimes the wall wins."

"I'm very grateful and blessed. It could've been a lot worse, I was scared for a moment (that) I tore something in my knee when I rolled over, it was on fire pretty bad. I'm happy the way turned out I guess."

"He banged it good," Williams said. "He went full-speed into the fence. But I think he's responded well to treatment last night. He's getting more of it today. He's available for us today, so that's a good sign."

Taylor said that he could play and wants to play today if called upon.

"I'm ready today," Taylor said. "I'm not in there today, but hopefully I'll get in the ball game."

Third baseman Yunel Escobar had an X-ray on his right hand and the doctor will look at him again today. Escobar is day-to-day with a contusion.

"He's still a little swollen," Williams said. "His second knuckle on his right hand, where he got hit, is pretty swollen today. They're treating him aggressively."

Even with the call-up of outfielder Matt den Dekker, the Nationals bench will be short-handed again tonight. Clint Robinson, den Dekker, Jose Lobaton and Taylor are the only ones available and you would imagine Williams would like to avoid Taylor tonight to give him at least 48 hours.