Stephen Strasburg Returns To The Mound On Thursday

More than a year removed from his last pitch in a Major League game, Stephen Strasburg is returning to the mound.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed that the former World Series MVP will make his 2022 season debut tomorrow when Washington visits the Marlins.

“ said he felt good, so he’s going to open up for us on Thursday,” Martinez told reporters prior to Tuesday's game. “I’m not going to put any limitations on him. We’ll see how far we can take him."

The 33-year-old Strasburg has been out of action since June 1st of last year due to injury. Thoracic outlet surgery in July followed. He hadn't pitched in a game until beginning a minor league rehab assignment in May. In doing so, he made three starts (two in Single-A and one in Triple-A) posting a 1.98 ERA with 13 strikeouts.

Though he was impressive throughout his rehab assignment, the Nationals will approach Strasburg's start with caution.

"We’ll keep a close eye on him, but this is one of the reasons why we wanted him to go through what he did and to make sure that he’s fully ready," said Martinez.

Entering his 13th season in the bigs, Strasburg owns a 113-61 and a 3.21 ERA. He inked a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Nationals in December of 2019, but has pitched only 26 and 2/3 innings since.

“I told him, ‘For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you,’” Martinez added. “‘I know this has been a difficult time for you, but you worked your butt off to get back. Just go out there and have fun.’”

First pitch for Strasburg's return is slated for 6:40 pm EST Thursday.

 

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