WASHINGTON — Nationals rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg is done for the season — and maybe next season as well — after the team announced Friday he has a torn ligament in his right elbow.
Strasburg will travel today to the West Coast for a second opinion, but the 22-year-old right- hander has accepted the fact he will need “Tommy John” surgery, which requires 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation.
“It’s a new challenge,” Strasburg said. “I want to be the best at everything, and right now I want to be the best at rehabbing and getting back out here.”
Strasburg grimaced, grabbed and shook his wrist after throwing a 1-1 changeup to Domonic Brown in Philadelphia on Saturday. It turned out to be his last pitch of the season.
“Bottom line, this is a game,” Strasburg said. “I’m very blessed to play this game for a living. It’s a minor setback, but in the grand scheme of things it’s just a blip on the radar screen.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Strasburg signed a record $15.1 million contract a year ago. He went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 68 innings with the Nationals.
