The Washington Nationals were never so happy to hear the words "patellar subluxation" as they were Friday night, when they received word of that diagnosis--essentially a dislocated kneecap--in the left knee of prized phenom Stephen Strasburg, who injured the knee Thursday prior to an Arizona Fall League game. The news means the 21-year-old right-hander will avoid surgery and should have no trouble being ready for spring training in February. "It was the best result that we could have hoped for," General Manager Mike Rizzo said Friday evening from his office at Nationals Park. "It's something where he just has to rest and follow a physical therapy regimen to strengthen all the ligaments around his knee. We think we dodged a bullet. From what you hear, and from what [witnesses] saw on the field, you always think of the worst and hope for the best." Strasburg, who signed a record $15.1
The Nationals have announced that Jim Lett and Dan Radison have been added to their 2010 coaching staff as bullpen and first-base coach, respectively. The team also made official the hiring of former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as bench coach, and that Pat Listach (third base), Rick Eckstein (hitting) and Steve McCatty (pitching) are all returning. Lett, 58, has 15 years of big league coaching experience, including stints as a bench coach in Toronto, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Dodgers) and Pittsburgh. As bullpen coach for the Dodgers from 2001-04, he worked alongside current Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman, who was Jim Tracy's bench coach at the time. Most recently, Lett worked as a coach in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. Radison, 59, was a coach during both of Riggleman's previous full-time managing jobs -- with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. He has also worked in the Yankees, Cardinals and
When I started on the Baltimore Orioles beat at The Post in 1999, the Baltimore Sun beat writer -- my competition -- was a veteran scribe named Joe Strauss, who remains one of the best beat guys in the business. He taught me many valuable lessons, most of which involved me picking up The Sun to find he had whupped my rookie tail on another news story, but the best of which was this: You can never over-write an injury to a star player. I thought about Strauss and that lesson when I got word of Stephen Strasburg's knee injury Thursday night, as I was in the middle of reading "Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!" to my 3-year-old daughter. (Reminder to self: Leave Blackberry in other room when putting kids down for nighty-night.) Strasburg may not be a "star" yet, in the traditional sense, but in terms of value to the
Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' prized pitching phenom, twisted his left knee while shagging flies during batting practice before the Phoenix Desert Dogs' regular season finale in the Arizona Fall League on Thursday, and has been scratched from Saturday's scheduled start in the AFL championship game, the team said in a news release Thursday night. According to the release, the injury is not considered serious, and an MRI exam taken shortly after the incident showed only "inflammation." Still, Strasburg is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Friday to be examined by orthopedist Lewis Yocum. Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo did not immediately return voice and text messages seeking additional information, and players and coaches in Arizona were instructed not to discuss the injury with the media. According to two sources who were briefed on the injury, Strasburg, a 21-year-old right-hander, stepped awkwardly while shagging flies in the outfield, heard a
The Nationals added three minor league pitchers -- right-hander Juan Jaime and left-handers Atahualpa Severino and Aaron Thompson -- to their 40-man roster on Thursday afternoon, in essence protecting them from the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft. However, right-hander Josh Wilkie, the subject of Tracee's featureThursday, was not added to the roster and his future with the organization is now unclear. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now full, and barring any changes Wilkie will now be subject to the Rule 5 draft, where another team can claim him for $50,000. Jaime, 22, went 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) split between Class A Vermont and Class A Hagerstown. Severino, 25, went 10-0 with 15 saves and a 2.62 ERA in 44 relief appearances in Class A Potomac and Class AA Harrisburg. Thompson, a 22-year-old acquired in August from the Marlins in the Nick Johnson trade, posted
