Strasburg pain-free but unlikely to return before next weekend

Though he's throwing off a mound without pain in his right hand, Stephen Strasburg won't be rejoining the Nationals rotation in time for this week's series against the Mets.

Strasburg threw 31 pitches off the bullpen mound today before his teammates participated in a simulated game at Nationals Park. Manager Davey Martinez said the right-hander's next step will be to throw a "regular" bullpen session Wednesday.

"Right now, he says he feels really good," Martinez said on a Zoom call with reporters. "So we'll see how he feels tomorrow."

Strasburg has been out since he was scratched from last weekend's scheduled season debut due to what he described as a nerve impingement in his right wrist. He received a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain and has slowly resumed his throwing program since.

No matter how well Strasburg feels in the next few days, it appears the soonest he would make his 2020 debut would be this weekend against the Orioles. And that would happen only if he doesn't feel the need to face live hitters before pitching in a game again.

"We'll have another conversation with him tomorrow and see what he wants to do," Martinez said. "If he wants to, we can simulate a game on Wednesday for him, where he can face a couple batters. But that will be totally his call."

The Nationals don't necessarily need to feel rushed to get Strasburg back on the mound. Because of this unplanned, four-day break due to the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak, they can reset their rotation however they like this week. Max Scherzer, who started Wednesday against the Blue Jays, could pitch Tuesday's opener against the Mets and still have an extra day of rest. Patrick Corbin hasn't pitched since last Sunday against the Yankees and is plenty fresh now. Aníbal Sánchez threw four innings in today's simulated game, which lines him up to start sometime this weekend against Baltimore.

On top of all that, the status of the series opener with the Mets is very much up in the air because of Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to impact the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.

Suffice it to say, the Nationals won't be putting Strasburg on the mound until there are no more concerns.

"We want to make sure that everything's sync, that nothing goes awry with his mechanics," Martinez said. "And today he looked good. ... Everything was as normal. He didn't make any adjustments for his wrist. He looked good."

* Howie Kendrick took at-bats in today's simulated game and ripped a double to deep center field, an encouraging sign for the veteran infielder, who missed the team's last two games with upper back stiffness.

"He's good," Martinez said. "He'll definitely be back in there this week."

* Eric Thames did not play in the simulated game for the second straight day while dealing with his own stiff back.

"He said he felt better today, but he's going to be day-to-day," Martinez said. "I don't anticipate anything happening with him. He's getting better. Hopefully he'll be ready to play Tuesday."

* The Nationals still need to add another arm to their bullpen to replace Will Harris, who went on the injured list Friday with a strained right groin. Martinez said that decision will come before Tuesday's game. One candidate could be Wander Suero, who opened the season on the IL and had been working out at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg but was at Nationals Park the last two days.