Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday afternoon with what the team described as neck tightness.
The move marks a low point in a challenging and injury-laden 2015 season for Strasburg, a former No. 1 overall pick. He navigated numerous injuries during spring training, including a sprained left ankle, and missed one start earlier this month with soreness in his back. He has failed to pitch four innings in four of his past five starts.
The latest abbreviated outing came Friday against the Cincinnati Reds. Strasburg exited in the second inning after throwing just 16 pitches. He had a brief conversation on the mound with Williams, pitching coach Steve McCatty and trainer Lee Kuntz, then exited without throwing a warm-up pitch.
After the game, Strasburg said the left side of his neck was tight. Williams specified it was a left trapezius muscle issue.
“It’s hard for me to really turn my head to the left,” Strasburg told reporters after the game. “It didn’t feel like it was something where I would be able to throw out of the corner of my eyes and be effective. I just didn’t want to push it too much.”
Strasburg has been working through mechanical issues for most of the season, the result of his left ankle injury in spring training. While unintentionally overcompensating for the ankle injury, he said that he developed a soreness on the upper portion of his back. He felt much better after a visit with a chiropractor and made four starts since.
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The back soreness was on the right side of his body, while the neck tightness is on the left. It is unclear whether the two issues are related.
In a corresponding move, the Nationals recalled right-hander Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse. Hill went 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA in his first nine starts of the season at Syracuse.
Harper a late scratch
Bryce Harper was scratched from the Nationals’ lineup Saturday afternoon because of back soreness. He was hit in the back by a pitch Friday night.
Williams told reporters that Harper had trouble getting loose before the second game of a three-game set in Cincinnati.
In Harper’s absence, Clint Robinson was moved to right field from left field. Michael A. Taylor was scheduled to start in left.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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