Davey Martinez: Strasburg still 'has a ways to go' in recovery originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Nationals have been hot as of late, winning nine of their last 10 contests. The team has also been doing that without one of its most important pieces in starter Stephen Strasburg.
On Thursday, manager Davey Martinez gave an update as to when the rotation could receive a big boost in the return of the right-hander. For now, there still isn't a timetable.
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“Stephen still has a ways to go. But he’s throwing the ball a little better," Martinez said.
Strasburg was placed on the 10-day Injured List with a neck strain on June 2, just a day after he exited his start against the Braves after just 30 pitches. It's the 12th-year pro's second stint on the IL in 2021.
Martinez noted that Strasburg has been playing catch, working his way up to 150-foot long toss, but getting him back on the mound will not come quickly.
The manager also shared an update on reliever Daniel Hudson, who was placed on the 10-day Injured List retroactive to June 10 with elbow inflammation. Much like Strasburg, it's been a slow and steady process to work him back up to game speed, though there's a chance he could return to the team earlier than the starter.
“Hopefully he’ll be a lot sooner than Stephen will be to get on the mound," Martinez said.
Much like with Hudson, the Nationals are making sure not to rush the recovery process for Strasburg. Given his past injury history, the team wants to make sure they don't do further damage by bringing him back too soon.
“We don’t want this to be a reoccurring thing for him," Martinez said. "So when he’s ready to get on the mound we want to make sure he’s completely healthy and ready to go.”
The positive news is that both haven't faced any major setbacks as they continue to throw. So while it may be a slow process, Strasburg and Hudson and trending in the right direction.
“They’re both progressing well, so we’ll see how quickly we can get them back," Martinez said.
