It looks like the Nationals will be one pitcher down, at least temporarily. Stephen Strasburg, the rookie phenom has injured his elbow and its repair will require surgery. Strasburg has torn the ulnar collateral ligament. This type of injury is often repaired using the Tommy John surgery, which has become pretty standard. Fortunately, for both the Nationals and Strasburg, it’s not considered risky and has an excellent recovery rate.

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Most pitchers who undergo the Tommy John surgery are able to achieve at least 90% recovery of their strength. This procedure is not new to the Nationals. Last year, another one of their pitchers, Jordan Zimmerman had it. He was able to recover and return in roughly 12 months time. Zimmerman played in his first game since the surgery, on Thursday.

Though this surgery requires a long recovery time, those who have it are not only able to play but successfully so. A large number of pitchers on this year’s All Star Team, had the Tommy John surgery. Rafael Soriano, Joakim Soria, Arthur Rhodes, Tim Hudson, Billy Wagner, Hong-Chih Kuo, Brian Wilson, Josh Johnson and Chris Carpenter have all had the surgery and recovered quite nicely.

Stephen Strasburg came to the Nationals with a great deal of hype. Both the Nationals and their fans were excited about the prospect. Unfortunately, the ride only lasted 12 games. Up until Strasburg was injured and went on the DL, he had been playing quite nicely. He had a record of 5-3 with 932 strikeouts and a ERA of 2.91 over 68 pitches. The Phillies game would be his last start, on August 21. It was then that he felt discomfort in his elbow. This would be his second injury, the first coming in July. An MRI was done after the Phillies game and the tear was discovered. The Nationals will seek out a second opinion but only as a formality. They have every reason to believe that the elbow ligament is torn.