MLB

Stephen Strasburg Will Likely Need Tommy John Surgery; DC Media Freakout Imminent

Stephen Strasburg will likely need Tommy John surgery, the team reported in a media conference call earlier this morning. It’s a tough blow to a town that had pretty much put all of its baseball-related hopes on an arm that now has a torn ligament.

New MRIs revealed that Strasburg has a “significant tear” on the ulnar collateral ligament. The injury occurred Saturday night in Philadelphia, and the initial diagnosis was a strained tendon in his forearm. This diagnosis is much worse.

Still, Tommy John surgery isn’t a death sentence. There’s been a good history of guys coming back – Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com put the success rate at about “85 to 90%” just now on “First Take.”

With that said, it’s a tough surgery to come back from, with full recovery time being anywhere from 12-18 months. It’s an even tougher road for Nationals fans. Strasburg was their guy. SG contributor and DC local Tyler Reisinger characterized his feelings thusly:

“It’s all over.  The relevancy lasted less than three months.  At first I thought that the sports gods had smiled upon me and given DC a relevant baseball team and a superstar.  Now it all feels like some sort of cruel joke.”

Yeah, it’s like that.