Instead, Strasburg went through his usual between-start routine, and after throwing a bullpen a few days earlier, Strasburg felt discomfort in his shoulder. That’s when Washington opted to have Strasburg undergo an MRI that revealed “some inflammation,” Martinez said. And when it comes to Strasburg, any risk isn’t worth pushing through.
“He’s such an important piece to our club that we want to make sure this goes away, and he comes back and he feels good,” Martinez said. “And the only thing he needs to focus on is getting hitters out. You know, I don’t want him out there thinking about his mechanics, thinking about his shoulder. We want him going out there feeling good about himself. When he does that, you see what he can do.”