Nationals' Danny Espinosa Might Return Today

The Washington Nationals received some good news Tuesday as MRI results showed that second baseman Danny Espinosa has only a bone bruise in his left shoulder and is listed as day-to-day, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com:

"This is the best news we could have gotten," Espinosa said. "If it was a labrum tear or a rotator cuff tear, I would have surgery during the offseason. I didn't know there was going to be a bruise in there. It's definitely the best news I could have gotten."

Espinosa has been sidelined since Sunday and initially feared the injury could keep him out for the remainder of the season. Results from a Monday MRI revealed just a deep bone bruise however, so Espinosa could return to the Nationals' lineup as early as today.

After a blistering two months of hitting following the All-Star break -- batting .293/.344/.482 with nine home runs through September 8 -- Espinosa hurt his shoulder diving for a ball against the Marlins and things went downhill. The 25-year-old second baseman had just one hit in his next twenty-two at-bats following the injury -- striking out eleven times -- before being pulled to undergo testing.