Danny Espinosa has played through left shoulder pain for the past week, but after going 0-for-11 with nine strikeouts in three games against the Braves over the weekend the Nationals have decided to give him some time off.
Espinosa, who played 144 of the first 146 games, will miss at least the next three games versus the Dodgers and could be sidelined for longer than that depending on what an MRI exam today reveals.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes that Espinosa is so worried about the status of his shoulder that he asked Adam LaRoche if the symptoms resembled what the Nationals first baseman went through with a torn labrum that required surgery last year.
Espinosa has 16 homers and 19 steals this season, but his overall production is fairly mediocre (.250 batting average, .722 OPS) and basically matches his career marks (.240 batting average, .729 OPS). However, toss in stellar defense at second base and losing Espinosa would definitely hurt.
