Strasburg shut down in D.C. following latest setback

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Stephen Strasburg’s attempt to pitch again for the Nationals is back on hold.

Strasburg had another setback in recent weeks while trying to build himself up for the start of spring training and remains home in Washington, according to manager Davey Martinez.

The 34-year-old right-hander, who has pitched in only one major league game since undergoing thoracic outlet surgery in July 2021, reported a recurrence of the nerve pain that has plagued him throughout this process following his second attempt to throw off a bullpen mound at Nationals Park. He has been shut down, with no set timetable for a return as he and the team map out their next steps.

“He threw one bullpen, it went really well,” Martinez said in his first news conference of the spring. “He went to throw a second bullpen, and after the second bullpen, the next day he just didn’t rebound as he thought he would.”

This isn’t necessarily a surprising development. Though Strasburg had been telling teammates and staff members his arm felt great throughout the winter, there was always a concern he wouldn’t be able to pitch off a mound without experiencing problems.

Sure enough, when the time came to begin that ramp-up process, the same neck and shoulder nerve issues that have plagued Strasburg for multiple years cropped up again.

Given the timing of the setback, Strasburg never made it to Florida for the start of spring training. When Nationals pitchers and catchers took the field this afternoon for their first official workout of 2023, he wasn’t present. Though he has a locker here in the home clubhouse, he’s not listed among the 34 healthy pitchers in spring workout groups.

Considering how cautious they’ve been with him all along, the odds of Strasburg making it to West Palm Beach before the end of camp don’t appear strong.

“I’m not going to put any kind of timetable on when he could come, or when he could not,” Martinez said. “For right now, it’s about Stephen and trying to make sure that he’s able to come back, if he can. It’s tough. That guy’s endured a lot. I know he worked hard all winter long and was rehabbing every single day, six days a week. So, he put the time in.”

Despite sticking to a studious rehab regimen, Strasburg simply hasn’t been able to return his arm to full health in more than two years. After signing a seven-year, $245 million deal following his World Series MVP performance in 2019, he made only two starts in 2020 before having carpal tunnel surgery on his wrist. He pitched in only five games in 2021 before heading back under the knife for the more serious thoracic outlet surgery. And despite insisting he felt physically great after a comeback start last June in Miami, he returned to the injured list shortly thereafter with a stress reaction in his ribs and never returned to pitch before season’s end.

All of this leaves Strasburg and the Nationals potentially to face some tough decisions. He remains under contract through the 2026 season, and he’s guaranteed the money still owed to him unless he voluntarily retires. Barring some other breakthrough treatment that allows him to return to full health, though, it’s unclear how much longer he and the team want to continue proceeding on a path that has yet to yield any positive results.

“I know in his heart he wants to pitch,” Martinez said. “And I can’t wait until the day that – if he does pitch – he’s going to come back and pitch for us. I know the fans want to see him pitch again. But at this point, it’s just health-related. And it’s the same thing; it’s the nerve that’s bothering him. I know he’s going to get checked out by some doctors again, so we’ll see. But for right now, he’s not going to be with us.”