Nothing to sneeze at: MRI reveals broken rib for Nationals' Johnson

By foxsports
Published

Reed Johnson's latest injury is nothing to sneeze at - and it's not the reason the Washington Nationals reserve outfielder's season is in jeopardy.

Johnson on Wednesday dispelled the facts behind a widely circulated story that he suffered a strained oblique muscle as a result of sneezing during a rehab assigment at Triple-A Syracuse.

Instead, an MRI exam taken Wednesday revealed that Johnson is dealing with a broken rib - the result of being hit by a pitch during the early stages of his rehab at Class A Potomac.

Johnson said the initial injury only bothered him while he slept, but the pain worsened when he sneezed a few days later, prompting the errant reports of an oblique injury. There is no timetable for the return of Johnson, who has been sidelined since suffering a torn tendon in his foot at the end of April.

(h/t Washington Post)