WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On a day traditionally packed with anticipation, pitchers and catchers reported for the first day of Washington Nationals spring training. Well, most pitchers reported — the Nationals’ first day was more notable for the one player who didn’t show up at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches: Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg, the 2019 World Series MVP and the team’s most expensive player, suffered a setback in his recovery from 2021 surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, according to Manager Dave Martinez. The right-hander experienced discomfort following a recent bullpen session — Martinez declined to specify when the session occurred — and will remain in Washington “for right now.”
“I know in his heart he wants to pitch,” Martinez said. “I know the fans want to see him pitch again. But at this point, it’s just health-related, and it’s the same thing; it’s the nerve that’s bothered him. I know he’s going to get checked out by some doctors again, so we’ll see.”
The latest development only fuels more doubt about whether Strasburg will ever pitch again. At 34, Strasburg is entering the fourth year of a seven-year, $245 million contract. He has pitched just 31⅓ innings since he signed the contract after starring in the 2019 World Series.
He had surgery for carpal tunnel neuritis in 2020, a procedure that he believes actually caused a delay in addressing the thoracic outlet syndrome, which he underwent surgery for in 2021.
Strasburg made an aborted return last season, making one start against the Miami Marlins in early June. He allowed seven runs in 4⅔ innings and looked like a lesser version of himself. The little optimism that stemmed from that game quickly dissipated when he returned to the injured list a few days later.
More rehab and recovery followed. Wednesday’s development put both him and the Nationals back at square one.
“I [told] him, you put every effort to come to spring training, and I know that, and I know how hard you worked,” Martinez said. “You’ve just got to, hopefully, stick to the process and go get checked out and see what’s going on. That’s all he can do right now.”
Strasburg’s absence put a damper on an otherwise normal first day of spring training for the Nationals. In late morning, before the first workout, veteran reliever Kyle Finnegan ran through the schedule on the board in the clubhouse with rookie Thad Ward, the team’s Rule 5 draft pick. Players chatted, the old mixing with the new.
The locker of MacKenzie Gore, a 23-year-old left-hander with 70 innings of major league experience, sat next to that of Patrick Corbin, the 33-year-old left-hander who debuted more than 10 years ago. Trevor Williams, a veteran signed to a two-year deal this offseason, was sandwiched between Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli, two young starters projected to be key parts of the team’s future. Next to their lockers stood Strasburg’s.
“It’s unbelievable joy,” Cavalli said about being back. “We got a great energy, a lot of excitement, and the guys feel it. I can feel it whenever we’re in the weight room. Whenever we’re in the training room. … I think that a lot of people are excited, and we are. Very much so.”
By the afternoon, the usual sounds of baseball echoed through the facility, balls thwacking into mitts in the bullpens and on the back fields. The one noticeable difference, behind the catchers’ backs and behind the gates, was three pitch clocks, part of the new rules in place this season to speed up games.
As Corbin, Gore and Hunter Harvey threw the first round of bullpen sessions, Harvey had an immediate reminder of the new rule. As soon as he received the baseball from catcher Israel Pineda, the clock ticked down from 15 seconds.
The bases are also slightly bigger on the fields, but otherwise it was business as usual. This year will serve as a “normal” camp, a positive after last year’s was shortened because of the owner-imposed lockout.
Martinez said he hopes last year served as an opportunity for his young players to learn from their mistakes. Heading into this season, he told his players they will come in with a clean slate.
“It’s definitely a reset,” Martinez said. “For me, this year, it really is about opportunity. We got a lot of young guys that are going to get an opportunity. Veteran guys that we brought in that we thought could fit and are going to get opportunity to play every day. It’s about opportunity for these guys to come out here and get an opportunity to better their careers to help the Washington Nationals win. So I’m really looking forward to that.”