Josh Willingham Will Indeed Have Season-Ending Surgery Tomorrow

There was talk that Josh Willingham may be able to return to action this season and avoid having surgery on his left knee. From the sounds of it, we can squash that talk now.

Willingham will indeed go under the knife tomorrow and see his season end, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

I just learned that #Nats OF Josh Willingham will have surgery on his left knee Wednesday. He is out for the season. 

Ladson had previously reported that Willingham would have surgery, but GM Mike Rizzo told reporters Friday that surgery "wasn't a foregone conclusion." I think we can safely say it is a foregone conclusion right now.

Nats' GM Mike Rizzo Exploring Options To Avoid Willingham Surgery

Outfielder Josh Willingham is still injured, but he may not need surgery to repair his torn meniscus as originally reported. Mike Rizzo spoke with Ben Goessling on Friday afternoon and left open the possibility that Willingham could avoid surgery:

"Surgery hasn't been scheduled. I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that it's surgery yet. Let's see if he needs it first."

However, if Willingham does avoid surgery, that doesn't mean he will be back in a Nationals uniform before the season ends. The expected recovery time for Willingham's injury would be 4-5 weeks, and you can be sure the Nationals will be in no rush to get one of their best hitters back on the field before he's completely healthy.

Josh Willingham To Have Season-Ending Surgery Next Week

I think we can safely say that Josh Willingham is not coming back this season. As was rumored for a while, he will have season-ending knee surgery next week, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Willingham ends the season having batted .268 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI, with an on-base percentage of .389. 

Nationals Officially Place Josh Willingham On Disabled List

It’s now official. The Nationals have just sent out a press release confirming that they will place Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list. They will replace him on the roster by reinstating Nyjer Morgan, who had been on the DL. Morgan will start in center field and hit leadoff in today’s game against the Braves.

Report: Nationals Will Place Josh Willingham On Disabled List

It's looking more and more like we've seen the last of Josh Willingham this season. MLB.com's Bill Ladson is reportingWillingham will be placed on the disabled list in a matter of days.

The Nationals are going to place outfielder Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list Thursday because of a meniscus problem in his left knee, according to a baseball source.

The team is waiting until Thursday to make a move because center fielder Nyjer Morgan is eligible to come off the disabled list that day. Morgan is expected to rejoin the team Wednesday.

Willingham will eventually have surgery - it's only a matter of when at this point. Without Willingham, Ladson reports Roger Bernandina will move to left field and Michael Morse will start in right. 

Report: Josh Willingham Will "Probably" Have Season Ending Surgery

The reports about the likelihood of Josh Willingham undergoing season ending surgery are starting to become more concrete. Adam Kilgore, who reported earlier that it was a strong possibility, is now reporting that surgery is all but inevitable.

With an injury to the meniscus in his left knee worsening rather than improving, Josh Willingham's season -- the best of his career before the onset of knee pain -- is likely over.

"It's almost a certainty he's going to have season-ending surgery next week," said Matt Sosnick, Willingham's agent. "They want him to clean it up so he can come in fresh for the season next year."

Kilgore also takes a look at what Willingham has meant for the Nats this season, both before and after his knee began to bother him.

Willingham's knee began to ache before the all-star break, at which point his production started to plummet. Though Willingham maintained his knee did not bother him at the plate, his stats show a clear correlation.

On July 4, Willingham was hitting .282 with a .413 on-base percentage, a .513 slugging percentage and 15 home runs in 263 at-bats. Since, Willingham has hit .232 with .325 on-base, .327 slugging and one homer in 107 at-bats.

Willingham helped give the Nationals a formidable middle of the order, but since his knee has begun to act up, the offense has struggled. Without Willingham in the lineup, it won't get any easier from here on out. Here's to hoping he returns healthy for spring training next year. 

Josh Willingham's Knee Getting Worse, Could Go On Disabled List

Predictably, Josh Willingham's knee injury has gotten worse, not better, since he returned to the lineup last week. The injury will keep Willingham out of tonight's game, and according to manager Jim Riggleman, it may send him to the disabled list.

Via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post:

It is "very possible" Josh Willingham goes on the DL, #Nats MGR Jim Riggleman says.    

Without Willingham tonight, the Nationals will start a wacky trio of outfielders - Michael Morse in right, Justin Maxwell in center and Kevin Mench in left. 

Josh Willingham In The Lineup Despite Knee Injury

Josh Willingham continues to have pain in his knee, but he will play in tonight's game against the Diamondbacks. The lineups have been released, and Willingham will be back in left field and his customary five spot in the batting order. 

Willingham has denied a report that he has a torn meniscus. According to Ben Goessling, he had an MRI earlier in the year that showed "degenerative processes" in his knee, but no tear was shown. 

Josh Willingham Denies Report That He Has A Torn Meniscus

Earlier today, Mark Zuckerman reported that Josh Willingham was hoping to play through a torn meniscus in his left knee for the rest of the season. Josh Willigham, however, disagrees with this report. Via Bill Ladson of MLB.com:

#Nats LF Josh Willingham said he does not have a torn meniscus in his left knee.    

I do have to admit, it was surprising to hear the news that he was going to play through that kind of injury. I guess we'll have to see how this plays out.

Report: Josh Willingham Has Torn Meniscus, Will Not Go On Disabled List

Josh Willingham has sat out the last couple of games with knee "soreness," but it was unclear what exactly that meant. Now, it's clear. According to Mark Zuckerman of Comcast SportsNet, the injury is actually pretty serious.

Josh Willingham has a torn meniscus in his left knee, an injury that has been hampering the Nationals left fielder since early in the season but hasn't kept him out of the lineup until the last two days.    

A torn meniscus is the same injury Gilbert Arenas first suffered back in 2007, kick-starting all of his health problems. However, Willingham is not willing to sit out for too long, and in fact has been playing on the injury for quite some time. Manager Jim Riggleman said he intends to play Willingham in Friday's game against Arizona and actually suffered the injury earlier in the season.

"It was there early [in the season] and he played through it with no issues," Riggleman said. "And then he slid into a base a little funny on the last homestand and aggravated it. Never missed an inning, never missed a game. I probably should have given him a game back then and didn't. We got to this point where I said, you know, he's showing a little bit of wear and tear on it, so I'm going to sit him down a game. He was good with the one game. He doesn't want to sit today, but I'm going to sit him and get him back in there tomorrow."    

Willingham's performance has suffered considerably since he turned in an outstanding first half of the season. Perhaps this is the reason why.

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