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More bad news for the Washington Nationals 30-year-old right-hander. Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his Thursday start and his heading back to the disabled list.
Strasburg heading to DL because he pinched a nerve in his neck, according to a person familiar with the situation.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) July 26, 2018
The silver lining? Early reports are that the injury is not to his shoulder or pitching arm, but a pinched nerve in his neck. Tommy Milone, the 31-year-old journeyman lefty, will be called up in his stead to start. It will be his first big league appearance since September 20, 2017 as a member of the New York Mets.
Just landed in Miami. Anything happen while I was en route? Oh, Stephen Strasburg was placed on the DL with a pinched nerve in his neck and Tommy Milone was called up from AAA to start tonight vs the Marlins.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) July 26, 2018
Strasburg is just returning from a DL stint that saw him sidelined for over a month with a strained oblique. He returned July 20 with what was reported as typical Strasburg velocity, but didn’t make it through five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks. It’s been a down year for Strasburg all season by his standards, as he’s posted a 6-7 record with a 3.90 ERA, and 1.15 WHIP. His normal high strikeout numbers (10.7-per-nine) and low walk numbers (2.2-per-nine) are still strong, so there doesn’t seem to be too much concern pitch-wise.
The Nationals are now 50-51 and in third place in a tight National League East race. Rumors were that they were in the hunt for another starter (and J.T. Realmuto), so this may amp up the search on a more desperate level if the Nationals plan on contending for the final few months of the season.