Williams says Span will be out four to six weeks after core surgery

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals are experiencing their first bout with adversity this spring after center fielder Denard Span underwent surgery this morning to repair a right core muscle injury. Manager Matt Williams expects Span to be sidelined for four to six weeks before he can resume any baseball activity. Span first felt the injury coming into spring training, according to Williams.

"He thought that it would work itself out," Williams said. "But once he ramped it up in the first game and tested it coming out of the box, he felt it a lot more, so we decided to get it looked at and ultimately, with all the results, had to get it fixed to make sure he's good to go."

Span was already coming off of December hernia surgery, which Williams said was on the opposite side of this morning's procedure.

With Span on the shelf presumably beyond the start of the season, Williams says the plan is for Michael A. Taylor to get the majority of reps in center field, with Tony Gwynn Jr. also seeing action.

"We're comfortable with Michael playing out there," Williams said. "We're comfortable with Tony playing out there, he's done it before. We have Denard Span because he's a fantastic center fielder and certainly love having him out there playing every day, but if that's not the case, then we have guys that can play the position, as well."

Possessing a rare combination of speed and power, Taylor is considered the organization's top outfield prospect and one of the most highly regarded in all of baseball. After homering in his major league debut, Taylor hit just .205 with 17 strikeouts in 39 at-bats in 17 games in 2015. He also racked up a combined 144 strikeouts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse last year.

Taylor, 23, was projected to eventually replace Span in center field, just not this quickly. Most expect Taylor to become the club's full-time center fielder in 2016, with Span's contract expiring at the end of this season.

Taylor made his first start of the spring yesterday and his impact was immediately felt when he sent a first-pitch fastball deep over the left-center wall for a home run. He added a single and is 3-for-5 through two games this exhibition season.

The Nationals signed Gwynn to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training last Monday. The 32-year-old has played parts of eight seasons in the majors with the Brewers, Padres, Dodgers and Phillies. He has a career .238 batting average, but hit just .152 in 80 games with the Phillies last year. Gwynn will start today in center field against the Braves at Space Coast Stadium.

Nate McLouth is a potential replacement for Span in center, but the veteran is not fully recovered from August shoulder surgery. He's still on a throwing program to strengthen the shoulder, though Williams says McLouth has been able to take some at-bats during minor league games the past few days.

This leaves the Nationals most likely without two of their starting outfielders on opening day. Left fielder Jayson Werth is still rehabbing from shoulder surgery in January. The expected recovery time was two to three months after surgery. Williams says Werth is taking dry swings, but won't begin throwing until sometime next week.

Meanwhile, Span is coming off an outstanding season in 2014. His 184 hits tied Philadelphia's Ben Revere for most in the National League. For the year, Span batted .302 with 39 doubles and 31 stolen bases, and once again played stellar defense in center field. He is in the final year of his contract with the Nats.

"We're certainly not comfortable without Denard, but it is what it is and you deal with this these things all the time. We have some experience, too much experience of that from last year," said Williams.

Williams knows that all too well and it was one of the few significant questions asked of this team entering this season with high expectations: Could star players stay off the disabled list in 2015? Bryce Harper, Wilson Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman all missed 50 or more games last season due to injuries.

"Things happen," Williams said. "You never want it to. Then again, baseball's not a perfect world, so we'll deal with it. Denard will deal with it. He's not happy about it because of the season he had last year."

Yunel Escobar has yet to suit up for an exhibition game while he deals with a Grade 1 left oblique strain. It's an important spring for Escobar as he basically learns how to play a position he's only seen action at in 21 games during his eight-year career.

"An oblique injury is touchy because you start to feel better until you get out and do it again," Williams said this morning. "So we have to be cautious with him. We still look at the seven- to 10-day timeframe before he gets a chance to do anything else. Of course, he's going to feel better quickly because he's not pushing it, but we want to make sure it's fully healed. We'll probably get another test before we clear him for any baseball activity."