Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond took part in defensive drills on Monday for the first time since he hit the disabled list with a strained oblique on July 22, but he's still two or three weeks away from returning, wrote Adam Kilgore in The Washington Post.
The Nationals are taking a cautious approach with Desmond, who said he "felt great" and experienced no pain after fielding ground balls and playing catch. It'll be at least another 10 days before Desmond begins hitting, said Nationals manager Davey Johnson.
Desmond is batting .286/.322/.503 on the season, with 17 home runs and 53 RBI. He's scored 51 runs and stolen 15 bases in 19 attempts.
Danny Espinosa has been covering for Desmond in his absence, and he's posted a .751 OPS in 22 games he's played at shortstop, as opposed to a .690 OPS in 88 games at second base.
In a depth move on Monday, the Nationals claimed shortstop Cesar Izturis off waivers from the Brewers.
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