Tommy John Surgery In Stephen Strasburg’s Future

According to reports coming out of Washington, Nationals’ pitcher Steven Strasburg may be out of the entire 2011 season.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced this morning that the team’s pitching phenom will most likely need to undergo ”Tommy John” elbow ligament replacement surgery.

In his last start, Strasburg was forced to leave after experiencing pain in his throwing arm after delivering a change-up.

The rookie right-hander was originally placed on the disabled list because of a flexor strain in his right forearm. After tests to find the seriousness of the damage were preformed, doctors found ligament damage in the elbow.

Even with all the bad news, the Nationals are remaining optimistic.

“He is going to go out and attack his rehab and get ready to pitch better than he has in the past,” said Rizzo.

The team will be sending Strasburg to California for a second opinion before planning for the future; however, their people believe that surgery is necessary.

If the prognosis does indeed call for Strasburg to go under the knife, he  is expected to be 100 percent in between 12 and 18 months.