Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Negotiating retirement terms
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Strasburg (shoulder) and the Nationals are still negotiating the terms of his retirement and his scheduled press conference Saturday has been canceled, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The Nats were planning to honor Strasburg this Saturday in Washington, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, and there has been talk within the organization of retiring his number. Those things are expected to happen eventually, per Dougherty, but the two sides may be discussing some sort of deferred-money agreement as Strasburg calls it quits at age 35. He is owed more than $100 million on the seven-year, $245 million contract extension he signed in December of 2019, and all of that money is guaranteed because this is an injury-related retirement.
Strasburg (neck/shoulder) is planning to announce his retirement from baseball in September, Jesse Dougherty and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post report.
There is a news conference scheduled for Sept. 9 at Nationals Park, where Strasburg will officially call it a wrap at age 35. Washington still owes him more than $105 million on a contract that runs through 2026, and it'll be paid in full because this is an injury-related retirement, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Strasburg burst onto scene in 2010 and registered a 3.17 ERA with 1,695 strikeouts across his first 239 major-league starts (1438.2 innings), but he's battled a range of physical issues -- most notably thoracic outlet syndrome -- since helping the Nats win the World Series in 2019. The right-hander did not pitch this year and surrendered 25 runs (24 earned) in just 31.1 total big-league innings between the 2020-2022 campaigns.
Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Dealing with 'severe nerve damage'
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Strasburg (neck/shoulder) has been completely shut down from all rehab activities for more than a month while dealing with "severe nerve damage," Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Strasburg has made only eight big-league starts since helping the Nationals to a World Series title in 2019. Just one of those starts has come since he underwent thoracic outlet surgery in June 2021, with his comeback attempt last season quickly getting shut down. Each setback makes it increasingly likely that Strasburg has already thrown his final major-league pitch, though he's yet to officially call it quits.
The Nationals placed Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday while he continues to experience symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Strasburg's status for 2023 is up in the air after he had a nerve-related setback over the offseason. He can't be activated until late May at the soonest, and unless he's able to resume throwing within the next few weeks, his return will be much further off than that.
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Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Likely to open on 60-day IL
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The Nationals are expected to place Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) on the 60-day injured list to begin the season, a source tells Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.
Considering Strasburg hasn't been taking part in spring training workouts after experiencing a nerve-related setback during an offseason bullpen session, the news that he'll likely be sidelined for at least the first two months of the 2023 campaign comes as little surprise. Since experiencing renewed complications in his ongoing recovery from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in July 2021, Strasburg has sought out multiple medical opinions on his next steps, but the Nationals have yet to publicize what sort of treatment strategy the 34-year-old right-hander is following. Since earning World Series MVP honors in 2019 and then signing a seven-year, $245 million contract extension with Washington, Strasburg has made just eight starts over the first three seasons of the deal.
Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Will see multiple doctors
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Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) is scheduled to visit multiple doctors in an effort to form a treatment strategy for his latest nerve-related setback, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Strasburg underwent surgery way back in July 2021 for thoracic outlet syndrome, and he continues to experience complications here in 2023. There'sno clarity at this point as to when -- or even if -- he might return to the mound. "We're going to take it day by day, literally day by day," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday. "We'll get all the opinions. We'll sit down with Stras. And we'll make out a game plan."
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Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Not participating in workouts
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Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) is not included among the list of healthy pitchers in Nationals camp, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.
There are 34 pitchers on that list, and Strasburg's name is absent. He has also yet to be spotted at the Nats' spring training facility in Florida. It's becoming quite clear that the 34-year-old right-hander is not going to be ready for the start of the 2023 season as he continues to work through thoracic outlet syndrome and a stress reaction in his rib cage. He's thrown just 31.1 major-league innings since the start of the 2020 season.
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Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Experiences setback, not at camp
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) experienced a nerve-related setback during a recent offseason bullpen session and is currently rehabbing in Washington, D.C., Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The report follows one earlier in the day from Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, who noted that Strasburg's name was absent from the list of 34 healthy pitchers at Nationals camp in Florida. Strasburg reached the point in his offseason rehab program where he was able to complete one bullpen session without incident, but Martinez said the right-hander had trouble following the second session. The nerve-related issue can be tied to Strasburg's ongoing struggles with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition he addressed through surgery in July 2021. The veteran is without a clear timeline to join the Nationals following the setback, but he now appears on track to begin the season on the injured list.
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Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: Throwing near home
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Strasburg (ribs/shoulder) was taking part in a throwing program near his home Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
There is still no clarity as to how much the Nationals are going to be able to get out of Strasburg in 2023, but the 34-year-old right-hander continues to plug away in his ongoing recovery from July 2021 surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome. A stress reaction in his rib cage is what limited him to just one major-league start in 2022, and that injury was said to be related to the lingering TOS issue. Strasburg can probably be ignored again on fantasy draft day, unless a sudden reason for newfound optimism arises during spring training.
