The Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of carpal tunnel neuritis of the right hand. Ryne Harper will take his place on the active roster.
Strasburg was pulled from his Friday start in Baltimore after recording just two outs in the first inning. He was consistently shaking and flexing his right hand after throwing pitches. Sixteen pitches into his start, Davey Martinez and trainer Paul Lessard went to the mound to talk to Strasburg.
"I told Paul, we're going to go out, I told him then and there, ‘I don't want you to continue right now,'" Martinez said Friday. "I talked to him after he came out. I appreciated him trying to gut it out. But I don't want this to become a bigger issue, you know? Something else goes wrong...He's going to get re-evaluated here [Saturday]. We'll know more [Saturday]. But, he's a big part of our future. I don't see him getting hurt anymore right now until we figure out what's really going on."
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Saturday's assessment prompted the team to place Strasburg -- who signed a seven-year, $245 million contract in the offseason -- on the injured list. He's made two starts this season. His first lasted five innings. The second didn't make it past one inning.
Strasburg's nerve problem is causing his right thumb to go numb or tingle. It is produced by a wrist impingement that the Nationals have treated with multiple cortisone shots. The issue dates all the way back to mid-July when Strasburg was preparing for the season. Rest and treatment made Strasburg and the organization think he was ready to pitch after missing his first two scheduled starts. But, the problem persisted, then increased.
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The question now is if Strasburg will come back at all in 2020. The Nationals need to balance the risk-reward of using one of the premier pitchers in the league during a 60-game season filled with odd circumstances.
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Nationals place Stephen Strasburg on the injured list originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
