Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg Could Miss Postseason
The Washington Nationals look to be heading toward a berth in this season’s playoffs, but will right-hander Stephen Strasburg be going with them?
Stephen Strasburg strained his flexor mass in his right elbow in his first start back from the disabled list on September 7. He was previously on the DL for soreness in the elbow, which is the same one he underwent Tommy John surgery for in 2010.
Strasburg is going to get a second opinion on the elbow, which could mean the first opinion gave him the impression he was not going to be able to go for the postseason. The Nationals have a comfortable nine-game lead in the NL East, but Strasburg’s status moving forward is up in the air.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
The good news behind the injury is that testing has showed that Strasburg’s ulnar collateral ligament is completely fine. A second surgery on his UCL would be a huge blow to the team and another setback in Strasburg’s career. The Nationals shouldn’t be too worried about their rotation as they have many options ready to fill in. Max Scherzer has put together another Cy Young caliber season, while Tanner Roark has also been tremendous.
Other candidates include Gio Gonzalez along with young arms like Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. With all of these options in mind, the Nationals should still be able to field a competitive rotation come playoff time.
Strasburg, 28, has pitched very well when healthy this season. In 147.2 innings, Strasburg struck out 183 batters while posting a 3.60 ERA. The Nationals signed Strasburg to a huge seven-year, $175 million contract extension in May. However, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft has yet to prove he can stay healthy in his career. In seven years in MLB, he has only thrown over 200 innings once. Even more concerning is that Strasburg has only thrown over 150 innings twice. The Nationals may be second-guessing their signing of an injury-prone player to such a big contract.
Next: Can Mets' Seth Lugo Keep It Up?
The Nationals are currently sitting at 85-58, which has them nine games up in the National League East. If the playoffs were to start today, the Nationals would face the Dodgers in the NLDS. This could be a scary matchup for the Nationals, especially if they have to face Clayton Kershaw in Game One of the series. The Nationals better hope that they win that game because with the uncertainties they face at the back of their rotation, they might struggle to win another game. Any way you look at it, an injured Stephen Strasburg would be a major loss for the postseason.