Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg placed on disabled list with elbow issue

Stephen Strasburg has struggled  big time over his last few starts, and a possible reason has now surfaced.

Stephen Strasburg missed a couple starts in late June with a back issue, but otherwise he has had a pretty good season (15-4, 3.59 ERA, 11.1 K/9). But he got shelled by the Colorado Rockies in his last outing (nine runs allowed over 1.2 innings), and over his last three starts he has really struggled (14.66 ERA, a .414 opponent’s batting average and a 2.57 WHIP).

Now we have a possible reason for his recent drop-off. Ahead of his scheduled start Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Nationals announced Strasburg has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right elbow.

It’s unclear how long Strasburg has been dealing with elbow soreness, even if there’s some clear evidence. But he had Tommy John surgery in September of 2010, and even nearly six years later any issue with his elbow stands out automatically.

There’s no doubt Strasburg is injury-prone, as he missed time in 2013 (right lat muscle) and 2015 (left oblique, neck). In his career, he has had just one season where he has pitched at least 200 innings (215 innings in 2014). Unsurprisingly, Strasburg also made a career-high 34 starts that year.

A timetable for Strasburg to return should come at some point, for better or worse. The team’s designation of simple elbow soreness can be considered positive, but it should also be taken with a big grain of salt until more is known.

On that note, Joel Sherman of the New York Post has passed along some positive news.

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The Nationals have a good group of starters, led by Max Scherzer, and a good lead in the National League East allows them to exercise caution with any injury. But they will need Strasburg ready to go for the postseason, and Sherman’s report suggests he will be.