The Washington Nationals have placed right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg and reliever Wander Suero on the 10-day injured list, according to Jesse Doughtery of the Washington Post.
Strasburg was scheduled to start in Sunday’s matinee against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Instead, he goes on the injured list retroactive to Apr. 15 with inflammation of his right shoulder.
Suero is headed to the IL with a left oblique strain. The Nationals recalled reliever Ryne Harper and selected the contract of Paolo Espino, who will start in Strasburg’s place Sunday.
Strasburg looked completely off in his last start on Apr. 13 against the St. Louis Cardinals. TV cameras caught him in the tunnel of the dugout rubbing his shoulder after the third inning. He lasted four innings and was hooked after loading the bases with no outs in the fifth. He allowed eight runs, three home runs and tied a career-high five walks.
Following the game, Nationals manager Davey Martinez blamed mechanics over any ailment on Strasburg’s struggles. Since being named the MVP of the 2019 World Series, Stephen Strasburg has been marred with injuries.
Last season he made just two starts before he underwent season-ending carpal tunnel surgery after experiencing numbness in his pitching hand. This season, he has got two starts in before on the IL.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Wander Suero exited his fourth appearance in a week. Suero walked off the mound with head athletic trainer Paul Lessard after grabbing his left side. While he has been on a stellar start with a 1.42 ERA, the 29-year old has made eight appearances in the Nationals’ first 12 games.
Suero going on the IL thins an already shorthanded bullpen. Luis Avilan suffered a torn UCL and is most likely to have Tommy John surgery. The Nationals are also without Will Harris, who has yet to play this season while recovering from inflammation in his right hand.
