Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy not coming through door any time soon

Even though he is on a rehab assignment, do not expect to see second baseman Daniel Murphy with the Washington Nationals any time soon.

At some point, the Washington Nationals expected to get Daniel Murphy back from microfracture surgery on his right knee. As the Nationals stumbled out of the gate, the hope was that his bat would help make a difference in the lineup. After all, the three time All Star had an excellent .322/.384/.543 batting line with a league leading 43 doubles in 2017, production that Washington could definitely use.

When Murphy began his rehab assignment with the Harrisburg Senators, that time appeared to be fast approaching. However, he has not looked right on the field, reportedly struggling to move laterally and lacking speed. With that being the case, manager Dave Martinez said that although Murphy will be re-evaluated once the Nationals return to Washington, he needs more time before being activated from the disabled list.

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In Muprhy’s place, the combination of Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo have been solid. Heading into today’s action, Washington second basemen have produced a combined .271/.313/.418 batting line, their .730 OPS good for 11th amongst MLB second basemen. Their player may not have much pop, with the Nationals having just five homers at second this season, but they have certainly held their own in the lineup.

Even though Kendirck has been lost for the season due to a ruptured Achilles, Difo has been solid in the lineup. He has produced a respectable .250/.324/.369 batting line, drawing 18 walks in his 181 plate appearances. Even more importantly, the utility man has been solid defensively at second, having saved four runs in his 29 games at the keystone.

At this juncture, no one can know how Murphy is going to progress. That lack of movement and speed may be due to his microfracture surgery, or it could simply be rust as he is back on the field from a long layoff. However, if this lack of mobility continues over the next week or two, it may be that Murphy will see his return to the lineup even further delayed.

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For now, the Washington Nationals are not expecting Daniel Murphy to be activated from the disabled list any time soon. While the Nationals miss his power in the lineup, they have held their own at second in his absence.