Nats' Stephen Strasburg on innings limit: "They’re going to have to rip the ball out of my hands.”

Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg says the team will have guts if they don't let him exceed the innings limit for him set at the beginning of the season. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Washington Nationals certainly have a dilemma on their hands when it comes to ace Stephen Strasburg.

The Nationals want to be careful with their high-priced investment and although Strasburg is coming off Tommy John surgery, the team still is putting him on an innings limit.

Strasburg has thrown 99 innings this season, putting him on pace for 193. He was asked about the 160-inning limit set by the team and general manager Mike Rizzo before the season, “They’re going to have to rip the ball out of my hands," he said on MLB Network Radio.

 “I have no clue how many innings I’m going to throw this year. I’ve answered that question multiple times, and nobody’s said anything to me," he said. "I feel great right now.”

The 23-year old Strasburg has a 9-4 record with a 2.82 ERA in his first full season in the majors.

"If they (the Nationals) actually do that, I'll actually have more respect for them, because that's going to take some serious guts," Strasburg told ESPN the Magazine.