Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

Nationals manager shares concerning Stephen Strasburg update

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 2/15/23

The 2023 baseball season is already off to an ominous start for Washington Nationals hurler Stephen Strasburg.

Returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2022 season, Strasburg reportedly had a setback while prepping for the upcoming season, putting his status for the 2023 campaign in jeopardy.

On Wednesday, Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters that Strasburg had a "nerve issue" while throwing a bullpen session a few weeks ago, which will delay his arrival to spring training. According to Martinez, there's no timetable for Strasburg's return.

Stephen Strasburg began throwing off a mound a few weeks ago in DC, made it through first session with no issues but reported return of the nerve issue following his second session. Davey Martinez says there's no timetable for him, but "I know in his heart he wants to pitch."
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 15, 2023

"He threw one bullpen, it went really well," Martinez said, via MLB.com's Jessica Camerato. "After the second bullpen, the next day, he just didn't rebound as he thought he would."

The 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy over the past few seasons. Since taking home World Series MVP honors in 2019, Strasburg has started only eight games.

After making one start during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Strasburg's started five games in 2021 before being diagnosed with a neurogenic thoracic outlet condition, leading to season-ending surgery. Injuries continued to follow Strasburg in 2022, as he made only one start before going down with an injury in June.

In October, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had few details to share about Strasburg's injury, calling the three-time All-star's status for 2023 a "mystery."

The most recent development for Strasburg isn't a good one, especially considering his past struggles with injuries. Unfortunately, Strasburg has missed out on some prime years of his career, and it's possible he could miss even more of that time this season.

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