We get you up to speed on the latest injury updates surrounding Washington Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross
This afternoon, before the Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies, there was major injury news surrounding two key pitchers to their potential postseason hopes, Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross. One pitcher received some good news while the other’s 2016 future is still up in the air for the time being.
First, let’s start with Strasburg. Today, the right-hander spoke to the media for the first time since the mass flexor strain in his right elbow he suffered on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves. He told the media that he had a PRP injection in his elbow yesterday and he talked about his chances of pitching for the Washington Nationals in a potential playoff series:
Asked if he thinks he will pitch in the postseason, Strasburg said "I can't make that claim." Said has to focus on getting healthy for now.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) September 10, 2016
The other news around Strasburg is that he is going to get a second opinion on that elbow, according to manager Dusty Baker:
Dusty said a second opinion for Strasburg is "in the works" as far as he knows.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) September 10, 2016
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Right now, that doesn’t sound like great news if you expect Strasburg to return to the Washington Nationals rotation in time the postseason. If Strasburg can’t pitch in October, that would likely make Tanner Roark the Game two starter and leave the opportunity for someone else to enter the mix, such as Ross.
Earlier today, Ross got the chance to pitch in a simulated game since both Potomac and Hagerstown’s seasons ended last night. This means any chance at pitching a rehab game was out of the question. Here’s the latest on what happened in that simulated game, which by all accounts, seemed to go well:
Dusty said Joe Ross threw 60 pitches in his sim game today. Said he looked good. Next step uncertain. Could be another sim game.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) September 10, 2016
Severino caught him and said he looked great, like he's ready to go in a game. Kept the ball low in the zone. https://t.co/LvEERkYpAa
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) September 10, 2016
Even though going to the bullpen has been an option for Ross, he seems to be a fit for the rotation going forward because of the Strasburg injury. Ross has been out since July 2 because of shoulder inflammation. He gave up eight runs over 11.1 innings in his last two starts before going on the DL.
Right now, when you look at the state of the Washington Nationals rotation, they need both Strasburg and Ross to be healthy in order to make a deep run into October. With that being said, if Ross is good to go and can get back to his spot in the rotation, he can get a few starts to be ready for October.
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With the poise Ross has shown since being called up in June 2015, it would be interesting to see how he would handle the big pressure that is postseason baseball. While Strasburg’s status remains up in the air, potentially adding Ross back into the rotation (if he’s healthy) could be the boost that the Washington Nationals rotation needs at the moment.