Nationals rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery, general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday morning.
Strasburg, 22, will miss 12-to-18 months, putting his entire 2011 season in jeopardy. Rizzo says the organization has already solicited opinions from two different doctors, who read the results from an original “dry” MRI done last Sunday along with an arthrogram and an enhanced MRI on Thursday. A final decision on surgery will wait until Dr. Lewis Yocum, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon based in Los Angeles, also reads those results. But once he does so surgery could happen as soon as the following day, according to Rizzo.
“It’s depressing in a sense,” Rizzo said. “I look at the brighter side. I look at Tommy John surgery as a surgery we’ve had great success at. We’ve got a big, powerful 22-year-old right-handed pitcher with power stuff. The success rate of guys coming back from Tommy John and retaining that stuff is very good.”
Strasburg was injured in the fifth inning of a game last Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He visibly winced after throwing a 1-1 change-up to Phillies batter Domonic Brown. Strasburg waived trainer Lee Kuntz to the mound and was immediately pulled from the game. He had a similar experience while pitching in college at San Diego State, a cramping in his forearm, but nothing came of that incident. Strasburg shook off the pain and continued his season as if nothing happened. That didn’t happen this time and now Strasburg faces the first serious adversity of his baseball career.
“It’s going to be a big learning experience,” Strasburg said. “I feel like I’m going to be able to grow a lot as an individual and as a baseball player. Looking at the bright side it’s going to give me six months to really not worry about throwing and really get stronger – my lower half, my core and my shoulder, so when it is time for me to step on the rubber it’s going to be hopefully a totally new ballgame for me and I’ll be ready to tackle a full season.”
The team initially diagnosed Strasburg with a strained right flexor tendon in his forearm. After the initial MRI on Sunday he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. But concerns raised by team doctor Wiemi Douoguih led to the subsequent MRI and arthrogram, where dye is injected into the arm to better show the ligaments and tendons. It was clear to team officials as soon as Monday that something was seriously wrong. Thursday’s results confirmed their worst fears.
“Sure, this is tough news for a kid with this kind of future and these kinds of expectations he puts on himself,” said Nats team president Stan Kasten. “He’s a high-achievement oriented kid. It’s a tough day for him and for all of us. But we saw Jordan Zimmermann come back and a year from today Stephen will be joining him along with the other 24 guys that we feel very good about for next year.”
Zimmermann underwent Tommy John surgery last August 19 and by this past July 3 was back pitching in the minor leagues on a rehabilitation assignment. He made his return to the major leagues on Thursday in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Zimmermann pitched that night against Chris Carpenter, another pitcher who has undergone Tommy John surgery and yet returned to become one of the sport’s best.
Strasburg’s recent trip to the disabled list was his second in a month. He was scratched about 10 minutes before a July 27 game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park with a sore shoulder. The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009, Strasburg finishes the 2010 season with a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA in 68 major-league innings. He walked just 17 batters in 12 starts and struck out 92. In his final start he was dominating the two-time defending National League champion Phillies on the road in the fifth inning when disaster struck.
“Definitely a whirlwind. It kind of sucks to have it end like this,” Strasburg said. “But I got as lot of great experience when I was up here. The weird thing about it is that last game was when everything started to click. That was when I had that feeling. That was a packed house and rowdy fans and I didn’t feel like they were there. I was just so locked in and everything was working. And sure enough something happens.”
Strasburg made his big-league debut on June 8, striking out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates and walking none in a memorable 5-2 win at Nationals Park. He also pitched 55 1/3 combined innings in the minor leagues this season at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. His loss is a devastating blow to an organization desperate to build a winner. Since moving to the District in 2005 the Nats have never finished with a record above .500. Washington signed Strasburg to a four-year, $15.1 million contract last August and along with Zimmermann, star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and 2010 No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper, he is the linchpin to the franchise’s rebuilding plan. But at least for 2011 Strasburg won’t be able to contribute.
“He’s turned from being upset to being really focused and really ready to take on this new thing in his life,” Rizzo said. “He’s going to go out and attack this rehab and be ready to pitch even better than he has in the past.”
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