Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
It’s official, Stephen Strasburg’s season is over
Just a few days after visiting a nerve specialist, Strasburg has been placed on the 60-day injured list and will undergo surgery for his carpal tunnel syndrome. Such an announcement isn’t necessarily shocking, especially given Strasburg’s injury history and a previous revelation by Dave Martinez that he was seeing a specialist and surgery was on the table. Now, it’s just official.
Strasburg hasn’t been 100 percent healthy all season, and that’s been obvious in his results so far, as he’s pitched to a 10.80 ERA in only two games started. The Nationals and Strasburg needed to find a long-term solution, and in a shortened season, it just doesn’t make sense for him to continue pushing his limits.
How does Strasburg’s injury impact the Nationals moving forward?
Sure, losing one of your best pitchers hurts, but Washington is lucky to have both Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin on their payroll. Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and they signed Corbin in free agency two offseasons ago for a reason. The rest of the rotation could use some work, but having two pound-for-pound aces on the staff is better than most teams, especially in the NL East.
Behind Scherzer and Corbin is a lot of uncertainty, with Anibal Sanchez pitching above his weight for now. Austin Voth and Erick Fedde both have ERA’s over five. While we wouldn’t compare it to the dumpster fire that is the Atlanta Braves rotation, the Nationals need to find some answers beyond their first two starters, and fast.