August 24, 2023
Washington Nationals pitcher
Stephen Strasburg is planning to retire as he was unable to avoid complications related to thoracic outlet syndrome that has largely kept him off the mound in recent seasons. The 35-year-old has made just eight starts since 2020, the season that followed a World Series championship and World Series MVP honors. Strasburg tossed 34 1/3 innings of eight-run ball in the 2019 postseason, including 14 1/3 innings of four-run ball with 14 strikeouts against three walks in the fall classic. All told, the 2009 first-overall pick posted a 3.24 ERA and 28.9% K% across 247 big-league appearances, all of which were starts. Needless to say, the baseball world has been robbed of several more seasons of one of the more electric pitchers of this era. Strasburg is planning to make an official announcement on Sept. 9 at Nationals Park.
--Brenton KempSource: Jesse Dougherty
June 3, 2023
Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Stephen Strasburg (ribs, shoulder) has been completely shut down from any rehab activities for more than a month, according to three people familiar with the situation, and there is increasing doubt that he'll ever pitch again. The 34-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched in a game since last June, when he was trying to return from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. Three people have described his complications as "severe nerve damage." His current plan is to rest and see if he can manage the nerve issues enough to make another attempt at pitching, but it doesn't look promising. Strasburg still has three seasons left on his seven-year, $245 million deal he signed in December of 2019. It's a disappointing situation for everyone involved, and Strasburg obviously shouldn't be rostered in fantasy formats at this point.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Washington Post - Jesse Dougherty
February 2, 2023
Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Stephen Strasburg (ribs, shoulder) is throwing near his home in D.C., but his pitching prognosis remains unclear after thoracic outlet surgery. Strasburg had surgery in July of 2021 but made only one start last season before being shut down again. With just eight total starts over the last three seasons due to injuries, it's understandable if fantasy managers want nothing to do with the 34-year-old right-hander in 2023. We'll keep a close eye on his progress this spring, but it's a good bet that he won't be ready for the start of the regular season. You're probably better off taking a flier on a less injury-prone pitcher at the end of fantasy drafts this spring.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
October 4, 2022
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo admitted that starting pitcher
Stephen Strasburg's (ribs) status heading into the 2023 season is a "mystery." Strasburg dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome last summer and got a late start in 2022 as a result, but he ended up making just one start this year before being diagnosed with a stress reaction of his ribs. The oft-injured 34-year-old has made just eight starts in the last three years combined since winning a career-high 18 games for the Nats back in 2019. With his status up in the air for next season, he obviously won't be very attractive from a fantasy standpoint as managers look to fill their starting rotations next spring.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
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