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Stephen Strasburg Placed on 10-Day IL by Nationals with Shoulder Injury
April 18, 2021
The Washington Nationals placed pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.
The move is retroactive to April 15, two days after his last start, when he allowed seven earned runs in four innings.
Injuries are always a concern for the 32-year-old, who pitched just five innings in 2020 as a result of a nerve issue in his wrist that required surgery. Various ailments have prevented him from making at least 30 starts in all but one of his previous five seasons.
Strasburg's 2020 season also got off to an inauspicious start when a calf injury forced him to exit his second spring training start of the year.
It's cause for concern for a player who signed a $245 million contract ahead of the 2020 season.
Strasburg is still an elite pitcher and showcased his upside in 2019 when he finished in the top five of Cy Young voting. He wrapped up the year 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts in a league-high 209 innings.
In 2021, he has a 6.30 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings.
Max Scherzer can still help carry the rotation, but pitching depth could be a major question mark for Washington.