The Nationals suffered their second devastating injury of September on Monday night, when starting catcher Wilson Ramos tore his ACL jumping for a ball at home plate. There was no collision. He just landed awkwardly. Awful luck, really.
The first devastating injury came earlier this month, when the Nationals lost co-ace Stephen Strasburg to strained flexor mass. He has since resumed throwing, but GM Mike Rizzo confirmed Tuesday that Strasburg is unlikely to be ready for the NLDS.
Rizzo on Strasburg pitching in the NLDS: "would be pushing it...it is unlikely he will be ready to contribute in that series."
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) September 27, 2016
Strasburg suffered the injury on Sept. 7 and hasn't pitched since. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection soon after the injury and has been slowly working his way back. It's a long and delicate process.
The Nationals are stuck in a bit of a Catch-22 here. They want Strasburg to get healthy so he can help them in the postseason. They also don't want to push him too hard and risk a more severe injury, especially since he's already had Tommy John surgery.
Strasburg's status for the NLCS, should the Nationals advance, is in question as well. It's possible he could return as a reliever if there's not enough time to stretch him out to start. Washington has to get there first. For now they know they're unlikely to have Strasburg against the Dodgers in the NLDS.
That Nationals will go with Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark as their top three starters in the best-of-5 NLDS. Joe Ross is the leading candidate for the fourth spot, though the team could opt to bring Scherzer back on short rest.
