Espinosa enjoying hot hitting at Triple-A

MIAMI -- Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa, who is playing for Triple-A Syracuse, is swinging a hot bat of late. Entering Friday's action, Espinosa is 15-for-32 (.468) in his last nine games. Manager Davey Johnson, an Espinosa supporter, is pleased about the infielder's progress.

"The last week or so, he has been awfully good. I check on him every day," Johnson said. "Hopefully he can continue that. I feel good about it."

It's not known when Espinosa will return to the big leagues. He most likely will be a September callup and become a backup middle infielder. It seems improbable that Espinosa would replace second baseman Anthony Rendon, who is having a solid rookie season, hitting .303 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.