Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg always suspected his sore right shoulder simply needed an adjustment. He visited with a chiropractor Wednesday and said he felt better immediately.
“It was instant,” Strasburg said. “He felt around for a little bit, saw what was different form the other side, just got it all out of there. So [it was] night and day.”
Strasburg played catch later Wednesday and then again on Friday, each time without issue. He plans to throw a bullpen session Saturday, and the result of that session will determine whether he makes his next scheduled start Monday.
“We don’t know exactly until he can get out there and throw his bullpen,” manager Matt Williams explained. “So we’ll determine that. But for right now, he felt good today reporting here, so it’s a good sign.”
When asked about his level of confidence about starting Monday, Strasburg was noncommittal.
“I feel good right now, so just going to keep trying to improve and get better,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
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Because of the team’s day off Thursday, Max Scherzer could assume Strasburg’s spot in the rotation and still pitch on normal rest. Strasburg could then pitch in Scherzer’s place Tuesday, giving him a full week of rest between starts.
Strasburg left his previous start after just three innings with what was described as discomfort under his right shoulder blade. “He said he feels like there’s a rib out,” Williams said that night. The right-hander did not receive an MRI but said he has been paying additional attention to stretching out his back and hips.
“It’s more like just hips been getting a little tight, altering the mechanics because of that,” Strasburg said. “Throwing a baseball, it’s all from toenails down to your fingernails. Everything’s connected. So the biggest thing is you have to kind of address not only what the irritation is, but also the other stuff that might be contributing to it.”
Strasburg is relieved that the injury does not appear to be serious but said he must continue to be vigilant in his preparation and maintenance to prevent an issue like this from coming up again.
“I think the biggest thing is just keep working hard,” Strasburg said, “working with trainers and [physical trainers] to kind of get the mechanics back to where it needs to be so something like this doesn’t really become an issue again. It’s been corrected, but still have to keep working at it.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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