Stephen Strasburg has been shut down for over a month due to “severe nerve damage,” and there’s now even more serious concern his career is over – a reality the Junkies came to on Monday morning.
“I don’t think anyone in this room has any expectations for Stephen Strasburg to step on the field, but it’s a really depressing article, and I came out feeling bad for Strasburg,” JP said. “He does appear to be trying, but it’s gotten to the point where he hasn’t been around the team and it looks like he’s never going to pitch again.”
“I tell my daughter and her friends this all the time: you just have to listen to your body,” Bish replied. “This is a whole different level, but he has to listen to his body. Severe nerve damage is no joke, and I just don’t think there’s a chance he’ll pitch again. I know he’s a competitor, but maybe he feels pressure, and feels obligated to try to go out there and pitch, but his body’s telling him he can’t.”
The guys all agreed Strasburg likely doesn’t want to get paid for nothing – or next to nothing, as he has pitched 31 1/3 MLB innings in three-plus years – but as Cakes noted, the beauty of baseball is guaranteed money.
“He won the World Series MVP…and then all this happened,” JP said of Strasburg’s journey. “Just standing on the mound he’d feel numbness.”
“It’s over, and if he tries to do it again, it could get worse,” Bish opined.
Added Cakes: “It doesn’t sound like he’s ever going to pitch again, and that sucks.”
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The good news?
“He did win that World Series and had a ton of success when he was healthy, and it’s not like he was a complete bust,” EB said. “People are going to mock the contract, and that’s whatever, it’s not his fault, and I don’t even blame the Nats; they rewarded him coming off one of his healthiest years. I guess in hindsight you could say they could foresee this, but…”
“They could see this because he was injury-plagued, but not something to this extent,” Cakes replied. “I understand wanting to reward a guy, but Mike Rizzo wouldn’t have signed him to this mega-deal if he expected he’d only pitch 31 more innings.”
Listen to the Junks’ entire convo about Strasburg and his future above!
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