Washington Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg Headed to IL
The road back to full health has been a rough one for Washington Nationals right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg in recent years
Strasburg missed nearly a year after receiving surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021 and has thrown just 31.1 innings since the start of the 2020 season.
Last week, he made his comeback to the mound, but struggled against the Miami Marlins, giving up seven runs in just 4.2 innings of work.
Unfortunately, he and the Nationals received bad news following a recent bullpen as Strasburg reportedly experienced discomfort. As a result, he'll be returning to the Injured List after just one start.
In December 2019, coming off the franchise's first World Series championship Strasburg and the Nationals signed a seven-year, $245 million extension.
Strasburg, the 2019 World Series MVP, was more than deserving of the honor and, up until that point, was in the elite category of starting pitchers in MLB.
As we mentioned, since that contract, he's posted a 6.89 ERA in eight starts and has unfortunately dealt with his fair share of injury problems.
A number of pitchers recently have dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome, so this is no out-of-the-ordinary injury. However, the timing of it all has proven to be incredibly unlucky for both Strasburg and the Nationals.
The hope right now is that his MRI comes back with nothing noticeable that could cause a severe setback in his full return to the mound.
Having a healthy Strasburg on the mound will be a massive help to a team that currently has the worst team ERA (5.32) and opponent batting average (.275) in MLB.
Washington welcomes the Atlanta Braves for a three-game set at Nationals Park starting on Monday.
