Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg: Headed to the D.L.

Stephen Strasburg was in the midst of having his best carer season for the Washington Nationals, but the injury bug has bitten him again. What is the fantasy fallout after his latest D.L. stint?

10-0 /2.90 ERA/118 K/1.06 WHIP/2.83 FIP. That is the the stat line that Stephen Strasburg currently has, as his start to the 2016 season, has easily been the best of his career. But, as the usual case has been when it comes to Strasburg, injuries seemingly lurk behind every semblance of success.

Mechanical concerns with his delivery have been well documented since his days at San Diego State University, making the constant ailments that he has had to go through, come to no one’s surprise. But, his talent has superseded that fact, and after inking his huge deal to stay with the Nationals earlier this season, it seemed as though we would get to see Strasburg at his best.

For fantasy owners, losing Strasburg comes as a big blow. He has certainly been one of the best fantasy aces this season, making replacing him a tall task. He was scratched twice this week to what has been deemed back soreness, but the actual injury seems a lot worse. Earlier this week, he had to have two ribs popped back into place after dislodging them in a weight room injury.

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This rib injury led to the discomfort and even difficulty with breathing, making general soreness seem like an understatement. Strasburg will more than likely miss two starts before hopefully returning, but by most accounts, the injury is not presumed to be long term.

In terms of finding a replacement, the most exciting option would be if  Nationals’ star prospect, Lucas Giolito, would be promoted. There have not been any indicators that he would be the option, but owners should pounce all over him if they can.

In terms of waiver wire options, owners could take fliers on the likes of Robbie Ray, Daniel Mengden, Jake Peavy, or even Yordano Ventura, as they all have been hot as of late. Nobody off the wire is going to be able to offer the elite production that Strasburg can, but these are players that can be used over the next week or so in favorable match-ups, so all hope is not lost.

Hopefully for fantasy owners, Strasburg’s injury is just a freak occurrence and does not become problematic moving forward. This is the best version of him that we have seen, and owners will continue to bank on him to carry their squads down the stretch.