May 23, 2022 9:36 AM : Strasburg (neck) is expected to need at least three rehab starts before rejoining the Nationals' rotation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Analysis: The right-hander will make the first of those starts Tuesday at Single-A Fredericksburg, where he'll have a target workload of four innings and 60 pitches. Manager Dave Martinez indicated Sunday that the team wants Strasburg to comfortably be able to throw at least six innings and 90 pitches before being activated, and given his long layoff after thoracic outlet surgery last summer, it's possible he could need more than three rehab outings to prove to the organization he's ready. Strasburg threw only 26.2 big-league innings over the prior two seasons and still has four years and $140 million remaining on his current contract, so don't expect the Nationals to push him too hard in 2022.