Surgery awaits Nats’ young star Friday

By Bud L. Ellis

Stephen Strasburg’s road to returning to pitching begins Friday on the operating table.

Thirteen days after suffering a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right pitching elbow, Strasburg will undergo surgery that will keep him out of action for the next 12 to 18 months.

The Washington Nationals’ rookie phenom created quite a stir after being promoted from Triple-A in June. In 12 starts, Strasburg went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA, 92 strikeouts and just 17 walks in 68 innings.

Not bad, considering Strasburg is one year removed from being the No. 1 overall pick in the player draft. He drew plenty of attention in his abbreviated rookie season, as the cellar-dwelling Nats sold out Nationals Park and packed in huge crowds on the road every time Strasburg toed the rubber.

He still remains a candidate for National League rookie of the year, although it’s likely he won’t win since he’s out for the rest of this year.

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Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 7:36 pm by bud

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