Washington Nationals: Jayson Werth out for 12 Weeks, Is Denard Span an Option?

The Washington Nationals have been able to wade through a rash of early-season injuries to maintain a hold on the top spot in the National League East, currently sitting a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Braves.

Jayson Werth became the latest among the injured after he broke his left wrist while attempting a sliding catch during Sunday night’s 9-3 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.

MLB.com’s William Ladson is reporting that after surgery this morning Werth is more likely to be sidelined 12 weeks instead of the initial six weeks that was being speculated late last night.

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#Nats RF Jayson Werth had left wrist surgery today. He will be out for more than six weeks. I was told at least 12 weeks. #Nats #MLB

— William Ladson (@washingnats) May 7, 2012"

It’s the same wrist he injured in the spring of 2005 after being hit by a pitch from A.J. Burnett, which eventually caused him to miss the entire 2006 season.

This news comes at a time when the Nationals were expecting to return to full health, as starters Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche are slated to be in the lineup for Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh.

Zimmerman, who has been on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, participated in regular batting practice on Sunday. He reported that the shoulder was fine afterwards.

LaRoche also received good news on Sunday when an MRI exam revealed he had a bruised right oblique instead of the more severe diagnosis of a strain.

Werth was hitting .276 with three home runs and 12 RBI, so his injury leaves yet another hole in the heart of the batting order, and an even bigger void in an outfield that has been without Michael Morse since the beginning of the season due to an injured back muscle.

Bryce Harper, who has already seen time in both left and center field, will now be the everyday right fielder.

Left field will become a revolving door of platoon players as manager Davey Johnson will use some combination of Xavier Nady, Roger Bernadina, Steve Lombardozzi and Chad Tracy.

The Werth injury could also trigger more discussions between Washington and the Minnesota Twins regarding outfielder Denard Span.

Span has been on the Nationals' radar since the offseason, but talks were previously put on the back-burner when the Nationals were unwilling to include closer Drew Storen in any deal.

With Storen currently on the disabled list after undergoing surgery in April to remove bone chips from his right elbow, it’s doubtful the Twins would still be interested in him until he proves healthy.

It also doesn’t appear general manager Mike Rizzo will have any type of knee-jerk reaction to the recent rash of injuries.

“With the guys that we have that are coming back, we’re not making a push to look outside ourselves for offense or bullpen,” Rizzo said. “We’re satisfied. We like the club that we have. We just need to get healthy. In the meantime, we need to continue to play good baseball and execute better offensively.” – Via Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.

Rick Ankiel’s decent start to the season (.288/.311/.441) could be another factor in Rizzo’s decision to hold steady at the moment.

Already struggling to score runs, the Nationals will look to continue leaning on a pitching staff that leads the major leagues in ERA (2.59) and batting average against (.209).