Nationals' Espinosa says he had torn rotator cuff

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa says he played with a torn rotator cuff in his left, non-throwing, shoulder late last season.

The switch-hitter decided not to have offseason surgery and instead rehab the injury. He spoke to reporters Saturday at a Nationals fan festival.

Espinosa was hurt when he dived for a ball in a game in early September. On Sept. 17, Espinosa got a cortisone shot to relieve the pain. The next day, he said he had a bone bruise in his shoulder socket.

He hit .247 with 17 homers, 56 RBIs and 189 strikeouts for the NL East champions in 2012. But over the team's last 20 regular-season games, Espinosa batted only .188. Then he was 1 for 15 in Washington's division series loss to St. Louis.