Stephen Strasburg, after several disappointing starts, was placed on the DL for recovery, after being injured in a game. An MRI later revealed that the player had torn a ligament which will now require Tommy John surgery.

The rookie phenom has had a shaky start to his highly anticipated career thus far. Despite having a remarkable debut retiring 14 batters and going seven and two-thirds innings pitched with a standing ovation to boot, in Strasburg’s last three starts he has gone 0 and 1 with a climbing ERA to 2.91.

The owner of the Washington Nationals, Mike Rizzo, has clearly stated his opinion on the Strasburg condition.

“He has really turned himself from being upset to being focused on his rehabilitation. He’s determined to get the surgery done and begin the process of rehabilitation.”

The Tommy John surgery for the torn ligament Strasburg suffered is projected to leave him out anywhere from 12 to 18 months.

Strasburgs humble beginning and extra ordinary talent has fans continuing to sell out National games. In fact, in each of his starts the attendance goes up drastically, from one day Strasburg doesn’t pitch attendance was over 27,000 and the very next day his appearance filled over 40,000 seats. So his recovery time will cost the Nationals more than they bargained for.