Rendon, Espinosa competing for keystone job

JUPITER, Fla. -- With less than two weeks left before breaking camp, Nationals manager Matt Williams said he has not decided who will be his starting second baseman. The competition is between Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa.

Williams said both players are doing well this spring, and he wants both to be in competition mode until the end of Spring Training. Entering Friday's action, Rendon was hitting .344 with a home run and six RBIs. Espinosa was hitting .200 with two RBIs, but he's been playing excellent defense.

"That is a tough decision for us to really make," Williams said. "As you come into Spring Training, you want to make it difficult for the manager to make a decision and for the organization to make that decision. They are both doing really well.

"I'm not ready to make that decision. We have a week left and they will continue to play and get at-bats. They have competed really well. We'll see how it goes the rest of the way and make our decisions accordingly."