Nationals: Stephen Strasburg lands on the DL again

The Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg is the newest starting pitcher to land on the DL. How does his absence affect fantasy baseball going forward?

It’s never going to end, is it? Washington Nationals ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg left Sunday’s game with forearm stiffness. Days after the game, manager Dusty Baker was still unsure if Strasburg will make his next start. That all changed Thursday morning.

Strasburg is just the latest (tell me if you’ve heard that before) big-name starting pitcher to find himself on the DL. He was diagnosed with a right elbow nerve impingement. The move is retroactive to July 24, making the earliest return date August 4.

There is hope that he will return at the end of the stint. Strasburg played long-toss without issue on Wednesday and should only miss one start. Though, with the huge lead the Nationals have in the National League East, they could take it easy on Strasburg’s rehab.

More from Fantasy Baseball

• 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
• Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
• 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
• NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
• Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend

For the season, Strasburg has a 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10-3 record. He also has a 10.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. The walk rate is the same as last year but his strikeout rate is down almost a full strikeout per nine.

Strasburg pitched in 23 and 24 games in 2015 and 2016, respectively. This is after he pitched in at least 30 games in 2013 and 2014. Reaching 30 starts is likely, only if he misses just one start with the injury. The Nationals have 62 games left (not including their afternoon game on Thursday).

Including the time missed and possible extra rest, there is definitely enough time for him to make 10 more starts this season. As a seventh round pick in ESPN leagues, fantasy owners are hoping to get every ounce of value out of him.

There are enough starting pitchers currently on the DL to fill up a 25-man roster. And there are plenty of good pitchers on that list. So, good replacements are becoming harder to find.

I wrote about CC Sabathia yesterday. He should be someone to target in the short term. Another pitcher worth adding is Patrick Corbin. He has three straight quality starts and four out of his last five.

Strasburg’s teammate Tanner Roark is looking good, 3.43 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in the last 30 days, and is still available in 41 percent of ESPN leagues.

Next: Fantasy impact of Eduardo Nunez to Red Sox

With uncertainty surrounding Strasburg’s injury, one can only hope that he’ll be back the first week of August. The fact that he’s throwing is a good sign. If you own him, you have to keep him unless something drastic changes. It’s just another bump in the road to the fantasy championship.