Stephen Strasburg has flexor mass strain, could return this year

The sound you just heard was the entire population of Washington, D.C. letting out a huge sigh of relief. The results of Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg’s MRI are in, and they are much more encouraging than initially expected.

Strasburg is dealing with a strain of his flexor mass. That’s still a concern, as it confirms Strasburg has an elbow injury, but the fact that Strasburg’s UCL is intact is a major relief.

When Strasburg left Wednesday’s game with the injury, many assumed the worst. Considering Strasburg has already undergone Tommy John once in his career, fans were understandably on edge while awaiting his MRI results.

As for Strasburg’s availability for the rest of the year, well, that’s a bit unclear at the moment. Nationals trainer Paul Lessard said the flexor mass strain is “not a season-ending injury,” but did not put a timetable on Strasburg’s return. It’s still possible he won’t pitch again for the club this season.

With the Nationals nearly a lock to make the postseason, Strasburg’s availability could have a major impact on the team’s race to the World Series. In 147 2/3 innings this year, the 28-year-old has a 3.60 ERA. His 30.6 percent strikeout rate is currently a career-high. If healthy, Strasburg would almost certainly slot in behind Max Scherzer as the club’s No. 2 starter in a playoff series.

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Should Strasburg get back in time for October, the right-hander would make only the second postseason start of his career. The Nationals famously shut down the youngster during their 2012 playoff run after he had reached his innings limit on the season. Strasburg was coming back from his first Tommy John surgery that year, and the club didn’t want him to overexert himself. They were bounced from the postseason by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.

Strasburg was able to make his postseason debut during the club’s 2014 run. In his one start against the San Francisco Giants, he gave up one run over five innings. The Nationals went on to lose that game, and were ousted by the Giants a few days later.

If Strasburg is unable to return in time for October, it appears his 2017 season won’t be impacted. That’s a good thing for the club, as Strasburg signed a seven-year, $175 million extension to remain with the Nationals earlier this year.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik