Three-time All-Star and 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg will make his return the mound Thursday for the Washington Nationals after more than a year out of MLB action, the team announced Tuesday.
Strasburg, 33, last pitched for the Nationals on June 1, 2021, a day before he was placed on the injured list with a neck strain. More than a month later, Strasburg underwent season-ending neck surgery after he was diagnosed with a neurogenic thoracic outlet condition.Â
Last month, Strasburg made two starts with the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals and on Friday he started for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. Strasburg threw 83 pitches in six scoreless innings with the Red Wings, allowing just one hit and striking out four.
“I’m not going to put any limitations on him,” National manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday, via ESPN. “We’ll see how far we can take him. We’ll keep a close eye on him, but this is one of the reasons why we wanted him to go through what he did and to make sure that he’s fully ready.”
Strasburg was the first overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2010. After Tommy John surgery ended his rookie season and kept him out of action for most of 2011, Strasburg returned to make his first All-Star Game in 2012. In 2017, he finished third in NL Cy Young voting after ending the regular season with a 15-4 record and a 2.52 ERA.
In the 2019 World Series, Strasburg won both of his starts against the Houston Astros and struck out 14 batters in 14.1 innings pitched with four earned runs.
On Thursday, Strasburg will start against the Miami Marlins.
