Nationals Phenom Stephen Strasburg To Have TJ Surgery

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a torn elbow ligament and will likely have Tommy John surgery, bringing his season to an end and most likely 2011 as well.

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday an MRI on the right elbow revealed a “significant tear.”

Strasburg will travel to the West Coast for a second opinion, but Rizzo anticipates the 22-year-old right-hander will need the operation that requires 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation.

“As you can imagine, he was initially upset,” Rizzo said. “But he has really turned himself from being upset to being focused on his rehabilitation. He’s determined to get the surgery done and begin the process of rehabilitation.”

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Strasburg struck out 14 batters in a sensational major league debut in June. He is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 68 innings with the Nationals, who have kept him on strict pitch counts and had planned to shut him down once he reached about 105 innings.

This is a devastating blow to the Nationals.