Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span has been activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The return comes earlier than expected for Span, who had surgery to repair a core muscle in early March after a previous procedure to fix a sports hernia injury last December. ''To be honest with you, I didn't think it would be this soon,'' Span said. A tough six months for me.'' In a corresponding roster move, the Nationals optioned outfielder Michael A. Taylor to Triple-A Syracuse. More...