For now. Strasburg has a flexor mass strain, something that is its own complication and does not rule out further issues.
Advertisement
If Strasburg is unable to return in time for October, it appears his 2017 season won’t be impacted. While they’d ideally want Strasburg back for the playoffs, they now hold an 8.5 game lead in the National League East.
While insisting there was no firm timetable, Lessard said these types of injuries tend to heal with treatment and strengthening.
“It’s not a season-ending injury”, he added. He pitched 2 1/3 innings allowing one run on two hits, and striking out four. Strasburg felt a pinch in his elbow, and he’ll undergo an MRI on Friday to determine if there is any damage, and to what extent.
X-rays on Perez’s throwing hand showed no broken bone, but Perez was held out of the starting lineup at Minnesota on Wednesday, a night after getting plunked by Twins pitcher Ervin Santana.
Strasburg signed a seven-year extension worth $175 million in May. No other MRIs to the elbow had been administered since.
Lessard described Strasburg’s ailment as an “acute injury, not an overuse injury”.
Strasburg previously had been out since August 17 because of soreness in his right elbow.
From the Nationals’ perspective, this news was about as encouraging as could reasonably have been expected, considering everyone acknowledged something happened during Wednesday’s game.
“The ligament is good”, Lessard said. “He’s just coming along exactly the way we thought he would. But it’s good to hear that it wasn’t what everybody was speculating that it was”. Before going on the disabled list, Strasburg allowed 19 runs over his final three starts, including nine over 1 innings in a loss to Colorado his last time out.
Washington has Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark and then uncertainty, especially with righty Joe Ross, who has been out with a shoulder injury. The remaining slots, however, are somewhat up in the air.
Pitching coach Mike Maddox and head trainer Paul Lessard, along with the rest of the National’s infield approached the mound and spent several minutes surrounding Strasburg. They have some options, including rookies A.J. Cole, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
Advertisement
“We have to do the best for the situation of what we have, and then make a determination on who is to take his place now and possibly later”, Baker said. Do we move forward as if it’s possible we won’t have Stephen, or do we not count Stephen out?
