Quick Notes: Mike Rizzo on Stephen Strasburg's status for 2023: "It's still a little bit of a mystery."
The Washington Nationals and GM and President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo are unsure of Stephen Strasburg's status for the 2023 season.
There has been a lot of talk dedicated to what's going on with Stephen Strasburg as he has thrown a total of 31⅓ innings across just eight starts over the past three seasons combined. He had carpal tunnel surgery in 2020, then needed an operation to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021.
There were some positive signs this past season as he made rehab appearances in the minor leagues and even pitched with the team but was quickly shut back down earlier this summer. This brings us to today and the right-hander's future with the Nationals. Unfortunately for the Nationals, Strasburg's status is still a bit unknown.
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo discussed the 2019 World Series MVP status before the Nationals doubleheader at the New York Mets. "It's still a little bit of a mystery... I know he's working hard to strengthen his core and the other parts of his body. We're just going to have to see. With the type of surgery and rehab that he's had, it's unfamiliar to us. It's unfamiliar to a lot of people. We're going to have to take it day by day."
In discussing the latest with Strasburg, Mike Rizzo said: "We'll have to see where the rehab process takes us later in the winter...We're going to monitor him. He's local, so we'll see him all the time and see where he's going into spring training mode."
Strasburg is a three-time All-Star who signed a $245 million contract after helping Washington win a championship in 2019. He is 113-62 with a 3.24 ERA for his career.
There are a lot of questions that the Nationals will have to answer this season, as they reached 106 losses which is their worst record since arriving here in Washington D.C.
Mike Rizzo discussed the 2022 season while meeting with reporters in New York before the Nationals faced the New York Mets for a double header: "I look at the season as a disappointment... I've always said that you are what your record says you are, and our record says we're the worst team in the league right now. It's hard to argue with that. The flip side of that is we're in a process."
