Stephen Strasburg has made just eight appearances over the past three seasons, which have all been derailed by injury. An ongoing battle with thoracic outlet syndrome has seemingly been at the root of it all, as the nerve issue has continually plagued him despite numerous attempts at mounting a comeback.
In a candid chat with Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post this week, Strasburg conceded he’s uncertain if he’ll ever regain his pre-2020 form. “I feel like every time I’ve had an injury, I felt like I was going to be the best there is coming back,” the three-time All-Star told Dougherty. “This is the one that’s still definitely a big question mark. I realize the clock is ticking. It’s been almost three years since I’ve been able to pitch competitively, and it’s not like I’m getting younger.”
Strasburg suggested he believes he’s battled complications of thoracic outlet syndrome since at least 2018, when he lost a month on the injured list due to what the club termed a cervical nerve impingement. A Botox treatment the ensuing offseason initially worked wonders, and he returned to post arguably the finest season of his career. The former first overall pick posted a 3.32 ERA across 209 innings in the 2019 regular season. He continued to excel during Washington’s run to a championship and collected World Series MVP honors that year.
After the season, Washington re-signed Strasburg to a seven-year, $245MM free agent deal. That, of course, looks like a major misstep in retrospect. Strasburg made just two appearances during the abbreviated 2020 season. He was shut down that August and underwent surgery to address carpal tunnel syndrome, but Strasburg now tells Dougherty he believes the actual issue was thoracic outlet syndrome.
Strasburg returned from the carpal tunnel procedure and opened the season on the 2021 roster, but he lasted just two starts before coming down with shoulder inflammation. He was reinstated a month later, made three more appearances, then was shut back down with nerve irritation in his neck. Last July, he finally underwent TOS surgery that brought an end to his season. He opened this year on the injured list and missed the first two months before debuting on June 9. He made one start, threw 4 2/3 innings, then landed back on the IL with a stress reaction in his right ribcage. Yet again, it brought an end to his season.
The 34-year-old tells Dougherty he’s done “very minimal exercises” in the three months since then. He hasn’t thrown at any point, and he noted that despite feeling “some improvements” in his shoulder, he still “(feels) like the strength is not quite there and (is) not really sure what the future holds.”
It’s obviously not an ideal update for a player who’s both cemented in Nationals franchise history and could theoretically still be a part of the future. Strasburg remains under contract through 2026 at $35MM annually and expressed a continued desire to get back on a big league mound if he’s physically able. Dougherty also speaks to some former MLB hurlers (including current Rangers GM Chris Young) who’d battled TOS themselves in a wide-ranging piece that’s worth checking out in full.
Unfortunately, Strasburg isn’t the only Nationals hurler trying to battle back from TOS surgery. Veteran reliever Will Harris hasn’t thrown a major league pitch since undergoing his own procedure in May 2021. He’s spent the entire season on the injured list, and he continues to battle lingering effects of the condition. Dougherty’s colleague at the Post, Andrew Golden, tweets that Harris recently suffered a setback and is headed for an MRI.
The 38-year-old Harris is in the final season of a three-year, $24MM free agent deal signed over the 2019-20 offseason. That investment didn’t pan out, as injuries kept him to 23 2/3 innings in a Washington uniform. It seems all but certain he won’t pitch this season, and he’ll hit the open market this winter.
Uriah Heep song comes to mind. ” Stealin”
I hope you get hurt at work and everyone calls you a thief for receiving disability. Then some d-bag coal-rolls you while calling you a welfare queen.
make sure to fix the ice cream machine before going on disability leave too uncle Mikey
If he works for conservatives it can/will happen! LOL. Strasburg won out though. Terrible extension
Accusing a player of theft for getting injured and a moron who had to make an idiotic political comment about it. This thread is off to a good start.
Beans for Jesus? Donnie, is that U? LMAO
Donnie? You’re calling me that? When you are giving a hurt employee guff for being hurt and signing a contract their employer offered them?
You must be the weird uncle that people don’t want to invite to holidays.
Ahhh yes, a “Uriah Heep” reference. I’m sure you’re a huge hit at the local VFW.
TOS === pitcher death
Your real name is Matt Harvey, right? 😉
A full recovery is uncommon (incredibly rare is probably the proper terminology), but not entirely unheard of. The most recent example I can think of is Merrill Kelly, but he also didn’t deal with complications for years.
Interesting article. Thanks Anthony. The carpal tunnel misdiagnosis that extended Stras’ absence makes you wonder about how the Nats approached this injury.
g4;
What should the Nationals do that they didn’t do?
Was there a law against the player and his agent doing something else?
What was interesting about the article? There’s no information there about TOS other than he had surgery, it didn’t take, he doesn’t have the ability to throw like he used to, he hasn’t done any exercises, and he keeps getting something like $35m a year waiting for things to get better.
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This case goes a long way in explaining why the Lerner family has put the franchise up for sale.
I don’t believe the Nats misdiagnosed the problem. This is a Boris client.
If only he wasn’t a Boris client… this could have all been avoided.
wtf does that have to do with anything?
What he’s saying is that Boris likely has his players get second opinions from independent doctors. I can’t speak to that, but that sounds like the sort of thing Boris does.
Boras*******
Nothing will ever beat the Chris Davis contract.
His sidekick is Natasha, right? 😉
One would think so. But no, so far this is worse.
Too bad, he was headed for Cooperstown.
He didn’t pitch enough.
He was still dominant enough to get there one day
If he was able to play out his 7 year contract like his earlier career years when he was healthy, then I think he could’ve had a shot.
Tons of players do what he did by age 30 without finishing it off. Even without injury he still had a long way to go.
Damn. As someone who has been wrongly diagnosed before (I was diagnosed with a Plantar fFasciitis when I had Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome), I feel the pain in this. Me from there, 2 surgeries haven’t helped my problem. Oh well. Good luck, I suppose.
And another $140 million dollars of heartache…..
This – Is the worst contact in Baseball. Zero Production. 35 Mil per Year!
I’d like to pose this question to readers: what’s worse? A high-priced contract where the player is injured for most or all of the contract, or a high-priced contract where the player provides negative WAR?
The former because at least you have a choice to play or not to play the latter guy.
The negative WAR. The one good thing is Strasburg isn’t eating a roster spot which you can’t say for someone who just stinks
Nothing will ever beat the Chris Davis contract. Killed the entire organization.
The Chris Davis contract was awful, but $23M a year didn’t kill the entire organization.
The fact the Orioles essentially bid against themselves for a cheater? It didn’t kill the organization, but it injured it terribly.
If a player is injured there’s a good chance insurance pays some of the money
That’s a shame, for both of them. I’m a Reds fan, but I hate seeing injuries ruin a players potential career…What could have been is the worst thing a former player could possibly hear… Like Jr.
And Albert Belle.
Whos a bigger dog?
Stephen Strasburg, Chris Davis, or Jed Lowrie?
Strasburg: 30 innings pitched in 3 years, 7.2 ERA, Contract of 7 years / 245 million
Chris Davis: 5 seasons “played” of 532 games with a batting average of .189, Contract of 7 years / 161 million
Jed Lowrie: 2 seasons “played” of 9 games with 8 plate appearance with a .000 batting average, Contract of 2 years / 20 million with the Mets
You decide
Biggest dog….Clifford.
never trust a guy named Jed
Should have just asked, would you rather have a Strasburg or a Corbin?
Crush
This guy doesn’t want to play baseball anylonger.. His body is just worn out!!!
It seems like his body “broke down” as soon as he got his contract after a career year. Hmmmm I wonder why? Could it be that his body just “broke down” and that he has been unable to play? I garentee if this was Strasburg contract year instead of 2019, he would have made 34 starts with a sub 3 era. Dudes such a theif. “Take the money and run! Just take the money and run!” is what he sings whenever he gets his paycheck for doing nothing
MLB players should get paid per game, if that was the case, then you would see pitchers like Strasburg and Flaherty making 35 starts a season of 3 era ball, rather than sitting on the couch all season
How to tell everyone you have a negative IQ without explicitly saying you have a negative IQ.
You remind me of former Nats color commentator Rob Dibble, who was fired after saying this about Strasburg during a 2010 broadcast: “Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can’t have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow.”. Shortly after that it came out that Strasburg had torn an elbow ligament and required Tommy John surgery.
Wow, you’re suggesting he’s faking it? Why would he even do that? How does he fool the doctors? This is a low and idiotic take even for you.
If it was a contract year, he would be playing through it. Strasburg is the type of playing to stay out 2 weeks with a hang nail. Look at Judge this season, its his contract year and hes about to play the most games of his career in 6 years. You can’t tell me that if it wasnt a contract year he wouldnt have been out for half the year
I can tell you that. I did tell you that. I’ll say it again. You are basing this on NOTHING.
What does he possibly have to gain by sitting out if he’s not injured? How is he fooling the doctors?
He gets to sit home and get paid, thats the benefit. He wants the Chris Davis life where the Nationals just release him and eat the owed money
That’s only a benefit if you’re a complete jerk who derives no fun from baseball. Why would you assume he’s a jerk? He clearly enjoys baseball what makes you think he doesn’t want to play? Again, how is he fooling the doctors? I’m giving this more respect than it deserves. You’re really being idiotic, assuming that you’re the only person in the world with work ethic. That baseball players don’t actually enjoy baseball. That he’d rather sit at home than fill out a hall of fame career. You have no logical reason for these heinous assumptions. I mean you’re, as usual, holding an absolutely moronic opinion bordering on hatred.
This is just an observation but I don’t think Strasburg cares about baseball at all. There are plenty of athletes that don’t care about the sport and are only in it for the money (Jared Kelenic, Anthony Edwards). Hes shown throughout his career by not pitching in the playoffs in the early 2010s because Scott Boras told him not to. Guys that really seem to enjoy the game like Alonso, Lindor, McNeil get hit in the face by pitches, breaks fingers, and they all still play the next day. Now I’m not saying you have to play through an injury to show that you love the game but, its obvious Strasburg just want to get paid and sit on his couch
Cosmo2,
LFGMets “garenteed” Strasburg is a “theif.” How can you possibly argue with that assertion? Or that spelling?
It’s not obvious. You’re basing this on NOTHING. How is he fooling the doctors?
Everyone knew this would be a terrible contract….but not this terrible
Everyone but the Nationals.
The Nationals could have drafted Mike Trout in 2009 instead of Strasburg. Just sayin’
29 other teams could’ve drafted Mike Trout.
We’ll, more like 23, but point taken.
Would the Nationals dare attempt to trade him next winter if he’s healthy next year? Try to get some young blood in the farm system and offload a portion of his salary? Would any team even be interested in a good ol fashion low risk high reward trade?
You must mean high risk and low reward.
No, I mean low risk high reward as in the trading team isn’t giving up the whole farm and the high reward is Strasburgs full season averages which are 16-9 .324 era and a whip just above 1. Not that bad if you ask me. Take on some money maybe half the contract and give up a little talent. For a team that has a stacked farm system then why the hell not dance if the nationals are willing to deal.
@tjt88 it’s all moot i pretty sure straus has a ntc, not sure if he has it written in or if he’s a 10&5 guy.
This contract certainly didn’t age well
Thoracic outlet syndrome is the new Tommy John. In 10 years every pitcher will have it.
You think so? It’s not going so well for most of the players that get it. Or is that your point? That medical advancements are coming?
Strasburg – is the true Elijah Price.
This is the same thing that happened to the Tigers with Miguel Cabrera. A star player is signed to a long term expensive contract only to get injured a year or so into the pact.
This is franchise destroying mentality. Now you have $35 million in dead money a year until 2026 that could be used to plug holes of need for the Nationals. That team’s rebuild because of this is going to take a lot longer. This is why I am against these long term contracts. Any team IMO is NUTS to sign ANYONE to a pact for more than 4 years!!