Stephen Strasburg Injured: Fantasy Implications

Posted by Kurt on Aug 22, 2010 in Twisted Sports

Rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg left Saturday night’s game after grabbing the elbow on his pitching arm and shaking the arm on the mound.

For Nationals brass, this was a nightmare. For manager Jim Riggleman, who managed the Chicago Cubs when Kerry Wood was a rookie in 1998, it was the devil’s deja vu. For Nationals fans, it was scary. For fantasy owners in keeper leagues, it created enormous issues.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters that Strasburg has a strained flexor tendon in his forearm and will undergo an MRI on Sunday. If there’s a tear, Strasburg will need surgery. If the worst-case-scenario is realized, fantasy owners will have to think twice about keeping the young flame thrower; his rehab could be length. If there isn’t a tear, there is still a strong chance that the Nationals shut Strasburg down for the rest of the year. 

Strasburg was already removed from a start during his warm-up once this year with shoulder fatigue. Because of how hard he throws, there have been questions about his durability moving forward. Pundits look back at Wood, Mark Prior and Francisco Liriano as examples of elite pitchers that needed to have work done early in their major league careers. Liriano is back in Minnesota’s rotation after a couple down years, while Wood is a middle reliever and Prior is pitching in the independent league.