The Nationals will welcome back Stephen Strasburg for his season debut on Thursday, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Jessica Camerato of MLB.com). The three-time All-Star is back after making a trio of minor league rehab starts, and Thursday’s outing will be his first MLB appearance in a bit more than a calendar year. Strasburg last took a big league mound at Atlanta’s Truist Park on June 1, 2021, an appearance he left with neck irritation. A little less than two months later, he underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and he missed the first couple months of this season continuing his rehab from that procedure.
The 2019 World Series MVP has made just seven MLB starts since signing a seven-year, $245MM contract the offseason after the Nationals’ World Series title. Strasburg is making $35MM annually through 2026, an investment that looks regrettable in light of his recent health woes. The Nats are desperate for rotation help, though, and they’d welcome anything close to Strasburg’s pre-2020 form. Each of Patrick Corbin, Joan Adon, Josiah Gray and Erick Fedde has an ERA of 4.71 or higher thus far.
Strasburg makes his season debut a couple days after infielder Ehire Adrianza, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list before today’s game. The Nats already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, and Lucius Fox was optioned out in a corresponding move. Adrianza signed a $1.5MM deal over the winter but suffered a Spring Training quad strain that cost him the first couple months of the season. The switch-hitting utiltiyman had a .247/.327/.401 showing as a part-time player for the Braves last year.
The latest on some other injury situations around the game:
- The Giants placed starter Alex Cobb on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 4, with a neck strain. San Francisco recalled Sam Long to take the veteran righty’s spot on the active roster. It doesn’t seem the organization’s particularly concerned about Cobb’s status, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters the team is hopeful he can return when first eligible for next weekend’s series in Pittsburgh (via Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic). Signed to a two-year, $20MM guarantee over the offseason, Cobb has had a strange first season in the Bay Area. He owns career-best marks in both strikeout percentage (28.7%) and ground-ball rate (65.4%), but he’s nevertheless posted a 5.73 ERA through his first eight starts.
- Alec Mills made his season debut this evening, as the Cubs reinstated him from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s matchup against the Orioles. Chicago had a temporary extra 40-man roster spot after placing reliever Chris Martin on the restricted list over the weekend. Martin has been on bereavement leave for more than the allotted seven days, and he won’t count against the 40-man roster for any additional time he needs to spend away from the team. Mills tossed 119 innings for the Cubs last season, working to a 5.07 ERA while starting 20 of his 32 appearances. The 30-year-old doesn’t throw hard or miss many bats, but he fills up the strike zone and induced grounders on a bit more than half of batted balls last year. He missed the first two months of the season with a lower back strain.
Cobb contract a huge waste
Really? For one, it’s early. They’re 4 and 4 in his starts, and most teams would gladly get that from their #5. His FIP this season is 2.63, so any disappointing numbers clearly aren’t entirely his fault. And lastly, calling it a huge waste is an exaggeration. 2/$20M, in this SPs market, can’t really qualify as a huge anything.
Cobb started rough and his stats suffered, but more recently he has been very solid. I disagree that picking him up was a waste. I would argue Desclafani was the wasted contract. I didn’t think Disco was that great last year and was surprised by the re-up.
Great to see Stras back, hope he looks comfortable and has fun out there again! One of my favs when he can throw like he knows he can
Love Stras so much. Although I have a question… could he be the most overhyped prospect ever? I don’t mean that in a derogatory way rather that he had SO MUCH hype surrounding him and his career. Your guys thoughts?
Overhyped prospect and World Series MVP don’t go hand in hand.
That’s why it’s hard to use the Overhyped moniker
Maybe it’s a Nationals thing. I’d have said Bryce Harper for most hyped ever.
JD Drew. He had a decent career but was way overhyped and it went to his head which made it seem worse when he didn’t produce at HOF levels.
Just think injuries probably played a role in how his career is perceived. Since debuting in summer 2010, he’s only made 25 or more starts five times and 30 or more starts three times. He’s typically been good-to-great when healthy, but between the TJ to start his career and this latest injury, he’s essentially missed several seasons due to rehab.
A few All-Stars, a ring, and he’ll probably end up having his jersey retired in DC, so I’d say he had a fine career.
Jason Heyward. He was supposed to be all that and a bag of doughnuts. He’s been a bag alright…a bag of poop!
As always, we await developments.
I think overhyped is the wrong term. At the time Stras was drafted, he was the best prospect by far. Guys are drafted for their ceiling, and his was sky high. Every team in baseball would have drafted him if they’d had the first pick. I’d be much happier have taken Stras 1/1 in 2009 than Tim Beckham, 1/1 the year before. Or Mark Appel and Brady Aiken, back to back 1/1s, by the Astros in 2013-14.
Mark Appel was hyped pretty hard but stras was throwing 100 mph in college when there was only really verlander doing that in the majors. That game he rung up like 13 pirates was insane, i live in canada and we had his debut game on national TV, i can’t imagine how insane it was in the US
Mr. Blue Moon, only appears once in a year at the most.
Strausburgs contact was easily one of the dumber stuff move by an owner. He had a good World Series and got paid soo much more and set the market on pitching when literally they could of paid a lot less and both parties been happy. I understand owners don’t get rich because they are dumb but this contract was.
Yet if they hadn’t signed him, you and other baseball fans would be calling the owners cheapskates.
The Giants. LOL
Oldest team in MLB
You. LOL.
Most pathetic poster on this site
Agreed but in replying to his pathetic posts you’re ensuring that he’ll keep making them cuz he’s SDsuperTroll.
I miss Strasburg, he’s always been one of my favorites