The long-anticipated rookie season of Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was famously cut short last year, as the right-handed phenom was shut down for the season. He underwent Tommy John surgery on September 3rd, and is just now able to pick up a ball and throw it. From the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore:
Stephen Strasburg Throwing Again As Recovery From Tommy John Surgery Progresses
“[Strasburg] told me that he tossed a ball, that he was really excited,” Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said today in a phone interview. “I just kind of laughed. He was so excited to be able to toss a ball. I’m not sure what the process is, because it can vary. But I know he tossed a ball. It was a very short distance. He was very happy.”
He clearly has a long way to go before he can do what he was able to do last summer, and it’s somewhat likely that he won’t pitch in the Majors until 2012, so he’s not even halfway back yet. Just being able to toss the ball for the first time in months, though, has to be a moral boost for a guy who makes his living by doing such a thing.
For more on Stephen Strasburg's recovery, as well as the Washington Nationals, check out SB Nation's Nats blog, Federal Baseball.
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