Nationals P Stephen Strasburg had surgery on non-cancerous growth

The growth bothered Strasburg when he pitched last season, so he underwent surgery on it last month.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg underwent surgery last month to remove a non-cancerous growth from his back, his agent, Scott Boras, said at the general managers’ meetings on Wednesday.

The growth bothered Strasburg when he pitched last season, but “he’s fine now,” Boras said, according to the Associated Press.

Strasburg made two trips to the disabled list during the 2015 season, once for neck tightness and once with an oblique strain. Each of the injuries kept him off the field for about a month.

In between DL stints, Strasburg had a 3.46 ERA in 23 starts with 155 strikeouts, all of which were career-worsts for him since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2011.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 amateur draft will become a free agent in 2017.

- Erin Flynn