Washington Nationals relief pitcher Craig Stammen has a torn flexor in his right forearm and will require surgery, manager Matt Williams said Thursday.
Though Williams did not reveal when Stammen will have surgery, or a timetable for his recovery, he said it is “possible” the right-hander could miss the rest of the season.
“Depends on the extent of the damage and the rehab, of course,” Williams said. “But yeah, it’s possible. We’ll see.”
The team said that Stammen sustained a “musculotendinous injury,” which would mean that both muscle and tendon are affected.
The 31-year-old was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with what the team described as “right forearm stiffness.” He said he first felt the stiffness during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, then took a day off Monday, during which his arm felt better. But when he returned to the mound Tuesday, the stiffness returned.
Stammen said Wednesday that he was “positive” after undergoing a series of manual tests designed to pinpoint ligament damage in the arm, but he couldn’t say for sure whether there was serious damage. An MRI on Thursday revealed the tear.
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“It’s never good news,” Williams said. “But knowing him, he’ll rehab as quick as he can and as hard as he can. He’ll be back at some point. We just don’t know that timeframe yet.”
Stammen is the longest-tenured member of the Nationals’ bullpen and gave that group valuable flexibility this season. Tanner Roark is the most likely candidate to assume Stammen’s long-relief role, though Williams has yet to establish firm roles in the bullpen this year.
“It’s never great to lose one of your main pitchers,” Williams said. “[Stammen] adds a lot of value to our club and pitches in a lot of different roles, but we’ll just have to have somebody step up and fill those roles. It’s unfortunate for him, because he works really hard. We have to get it fixed and get him back out there as quickly as we can.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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