Nationals' Span out at least 4-6 weeks after undergoing core surgery

Washington Nationals outfielder Denard Span will likely be sidelined for the remainder of spring after undergoing surgery to repair a right core muscle injury on Monday. 

"Everything went well with the surgery," Span tweeted.

Manager Matt Williams acknowledged that a time frame remains up in the air, but he's looking at four-to-six weeks before Span can resume baseball activities. Williams expects Span to rejoin the team by the end of the week to begin his rehab. 

"The good thing is, he has experience with [the injury]. He knows what to expect in that regard and what he can and can't do," Williams told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. "So we'll see. To put a time frame on it right now is premature. The good thing is, he got it fixed."

It's the second surgery in four months for the 30-year-old, who underwent a procedure to repair a sports hernia in December. 

Span said that he started having problems with his core six or seven weeks after undergoing surgery and hoped the pain would go away.

"[The pain] was off and on," Span said. "I got to Spring Training. I tried to play on Thursday and it didn't respond well."

The seven-year veteran was exceptional last season for the Nationals, hitting .302/.355/.416 with a career-high 184 hits and 31 stolen bases in 147 games. 

Michael Taylor is expected to take over in center field during Span's absence. The 23-year-old hit .304/.390/.526 with 23 home runs and 144 strikeouts in 110 games split between Double and Triple-A last season. 

"Michael will get the majority of the reps in the spring in that regard," Williams said. "We signed Tony Gwynn [Jr.], so he will get some opportunity out there, too."