The rollercoaster that was Stephen Strasburg’s career has appeared to reach its finish line.
The former Nationals’ ace, who was one of baseball’s most-hyped prospects ever and won World Series MVP in 2019, plans to retire after a 13-year career, according to the Washington Post.
Strasburg, 35, who signed a seven-year, $245 million contract in Dec. 2019, pitched just 31 1/3 innings after inking that deal, his career derailed entirely by injuries.
Following this season, $105 million is left on his contract with three more years remaining.
He last pitched in June 2022, when he made one start — a 4 2/3-inning performance in which he gave up seven runs on eight hits to the Marlins.
Strasburg, who is reportedly suffering from “severe nerve damage,” made multiple attempts to return this season but couldn’t make any meaningful progress without significant pain.
The pitcher is struggling with mundane tasks, like picking up his daughters or opening a door with his right hand, The Washington Post report said.
“Every time I’ve had an injury, I felt like I was going to be the best there is coming back,” he said in an interview last September. “This is the one that’s still definitely a big question mark. I realize the clock is ticking.”
Few pitchers have experienced a fall from grace like Strasburg: from 2010-2019, he pitched 1,438 innings with a 3.17 ERA, culminating in a World Series victory in 2019.
From 2020 on, he had a 6.89 ERA in just over 30 innings.
“When healthy, he was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the game,” longtime teammate Ryan Zimmerman told The AP by phone Thursday. “You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who worked harder than he did. He deserves to be celebrated because he was a pretty special player. You could argue that he lived up to, or even exceeded, what was expected of a No. 1 pick.”
As one of the most highly-touted prospects in baseball history, Strasburg immediately flashed his potential, striking out 14 batters as a 21-year-old rookie making his debut in 2010.
He retires a three-time All-Star with a 113-62 all-time record and 3.24 ERA, along with a brilliant 1.56 ERA in 55 1/3 playoff innings, which included two dominant starts in the 2019 World Series against the Astros.
“It’s been tough, I’m sure, for him and his family and the guys in this clubhouse miss him and we wish nothing but the best for him and what’s to come,” Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin said after a 6-5 win over the Yankees. “He’s a big reason why we’re here and a big reason why we have a championship ring.”
Strasburg underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021, which included the removal of a rib and two neck muscles.
He never recovered after that procedure and his career has now been shuttered.
— with AP
