Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg Suffers Devastating Injury Setback

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has been shut down from all physical activity per reports. He is suffering from "severe nerve damage" and there is doubt about whether the former No. 1 pick in the draft will ever pitch again.

Longtime Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg got a devastating setback on Saturday.

He's been shut down from all physical activity with what is described as "severe nerve damage", per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

Stephen Strasburg is completely shut down from physical activity again and is dealing with "severe nerve damage," as three people familiar with his situation put it.

More on his grim outlook here: https://t.co/B0aZrqa1zZ

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) June 3, 2023

Strasburg has been recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome and missed all of spring training as well after suffering a reported setback in that recovery. An MLBTradeRumors article on Strasburg said there is growing concern that he may never pitch again.

Stephen Strasburg Shut Down From All Physical Activity https://t.co/FwTwoGuWim pic.twitter.com/Fngmn4Z8eu

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) June 3, 2023

Strasburg was seen as one of the top pitching prospects in the history of baseball when he came out of college at San Diego State. While he's still put up a solid career, injuries have sapped him of his true potential.

The 34-year-old owns a lifetime 113-62 record with a 3.24 ERA. He is a three-time All-Star selection and helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019. He led the league in wins that year with 18 and has received Cy Young votes in three separate seasons.

However, he has made more than 30 starts just three times in 13 seasons and has made fewer than 10 starts in four separate seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when he made just two.

He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 as well.

He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 Major League Draft. The Nationals gave him a 7-year, $245 million contract after the 2019 season and he's made just eight appearances since, making this one of the worst contracts in baseball, unfortunately.

We wish him the best and hope he gets back on the mound at some point.