Strasburg has discomfort in neck, taken off throwing program originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg suffered another setback in his return from a neck strain he sustained in June.
Manager Davey Martinez announced Friday that the former World Series MVP had an uncomfortable feeling in his neck and would be backed down in his throwing program.
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"He had an uncomfortable feeling in his neck, so we backed him down again and now we're gonna have to figure something else out for him," Martinez said. "I know they're gonna look at some different options, see if we can find another specialist for him to go see, but this continues to happen to him so we need to figure something else out for him."
The Nats had to dial back Strasburg's rehab process last week before making a rehab start due to some discomfort in his neck. Washington is now looking at its options regarding Strasburg's recovery, including potentially seeing a different specialist.
Strasburg has struggled to stay on the field since leading the Nats to a World Series in 2019. Since that campaign and inking a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Nats, he's only made seven starts. In those starts, he has a 5.74 ERA over 26.2 innings.
With roughly a week to go before the MLB trade deadline, general manager Mike Rizzo must determine whether his club will act as buyers or sellers. Strasburg's uncertain return certainly should play into that decision.
The Nationals begin a three-game series against the Orioles and then visit the Phillies for a four-game set before the deadline. They currently sit six games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East.
"When we get Strasburg back fully healthy," Martinez said. "We're gonna weigh all options here, but as of now we backed him down a little bit and we'll see what happens in the next few days."
