The embattled career of Stephen Strasburg has taken another hit. The Washington Nationals ace was placed on the 15-day injured list with a stress reaction of his ribs. This recent injury is directly related to the thoracic outlet surgery he underwent last year.
There is no timetable for his return. He’ll head to Los Angeles to see a specialist to determine the next steps for his recovery. Strasburg has battled through an injury-plagued career. Injuries may have shut him down for the year at times, but he always battled his way back on the mound.
But this time, it may be different. At least that’s the tone in which Nationals manager Dave Martinez. There was uncertainty in Martinez’s words when discussing Strasburg’s latest stint to the IL.
“I hope and pray that he comes back — who knows when, there’s no timetable — but he can come back again and pitch for us,” Martinez said per MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.
Strasburg has been through so much during his career. His Tommy John surgery in 2010 highlights the numerous injuries he sustained. Remember, when his innings limit prevented him from pitching during the 2012 playoffs?
The constant trips to the injured list overshadowed his brilliance on the mound. That is until the 2019 season, when he had arguably his best of his career. It culminated with the Nationals winning the franchise’s first World Series. Strasburg was named the World Series MVP.
Strasburg had reached the pinnacle of his career. He then landed a seven-year, $245 million deal the following offseason. Unfortunately, looking back over the past three years, it appears 2019 may have been Strasburg’s swansong.
Since then, he’s been placed on the IL five times. He’s made just eight starts over the last three seasons. And there’s a dark cloud hovering over the uncertainty of his career moving forward.
“Honestly I don’t really want to look at it that way,” Martinez said. “Let’s see what happens after this little stint here, see if we can get him back.”
