It is unfortunate, but it was announced this morning that rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg will need Tommy John surgery.
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Strasburg has a significant tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.
"As you can imagine, he was initially upset," Rizzo told reporters. "But he has really turned himself from being upset to being focused on his rehabilitation. He's determined to get the surgery done and begin the process of rehabilitation."
The Washington Post reported Strasburg will get a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum.
If he has the surgical procedure, Strasburg likely will be sidelined until at least late in the 2011 season—if not the entire 2011 season. However, the outlook is hardly doom and gloom. The Washington Post noted that 10 pitchers in this year's All-Star Game had Tommy John surgery during their careers.
Strasburg suffered the injury in his most recent start, though he was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon after an initial MRI exam. An arthrogram exam Thursday revealed more extensive damage.
In late July, Strasburg experienced some stiffness in his shoulder while warming up in the bullpen prior to a scheduled start. The Nationals, in an attempt to prevent the situation from developing into anything more serious, scratched him from that start and placed him on the disabled list.
Strasburg returned from the D.L. on Aug. 10 and has the worst start of his young major league career, allowing six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Marlins. He turned in a decent outing against Arizona in his next start and was pitching well against the Phillies this past Saturday before leaving the game in the fifth inning with what was called a forearm injury.
The 22-year-old Strasburg, was 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 12 starts for Washington this season.