Nationals recall den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse, place Span on 15-day DL

The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday and placed center fielder Denard Span on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 27, with left hip inflammation. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. den Dekker, 28, returns to Washington for his fourth Major League stint of the season. The versatile outfielder has hit .184 (9-for-49) in 26 games, largely off the bench, for the Nationals this season. In his lengthiest stint, June 11-July 28, den Dekker appeared in 19 games (starting 11) and clubbed a game-winning, pinch-hit home run on June 18 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers in the continuation of the July 17 contest. In 73 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season den Dekker has hit .249 with a .320 on-base percentage. He's clubbed 12 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs, walked 24 times and stolen eight bases. Acquired from the New York Mets on March 30, den Dekker has appeared in 106 MLB games since the start of the 2013 season. Span, 31, lands on the disabled list for the third time this season. After undergoing offseason core muscle surgery on both sides of his abdomen, Span returned from a 40-game stint with back tightness on Tuesday. In 61 games with the Nationals this season, Span is hitting .301 (74-for-246) with a .365 on-base percentage and a .431 slugging percentage. In 275 plate appearances, Span has tallied 17 doubles and five home runs, walked 25 times, stolen 11 bases and scored 38 runs.