A month after having elbow reconstruction, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg said he had his cast removed two weeks ago, is close to having his range of motion and should be rehabbing his right elbow soon.

Strasburg, who is continuing his studies at San Diego State University, said he watches the Nationals on regular basis and acknowledged that it’s sometimes hard to watch them because he is not out there. Strasburg is expected to be back on a Major League by the end of next year. 

“I wish I was out there with everybody,”  Strasburg said during a conference call. “I think the hardest part was being back [in California] and waiting for the surgery to happen. Once it was over with, it was  sense of relief. I knew everything was fixed and I’m closer to getting back out there.”

Strasburg was the talk of baseball after making his Major League debut on June 8 against the Pirates. A sellout crowd of 40,315 at Nationals Park saw Strasburg allow just four hits, and his 14 strikeouts established a club record. The 14 strikeouts by Strasburg in a Major League debut were one shy of the all-time mark of 15 set by Karl Spooner in 1954 and J.R. Richard in ’71.

But his season came to an end after he felt pain in the elbow on Aug. 21 against the Phillies.  Strasburg would have surgery a couple of weeks later. Strasburg made 12 starts and went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA.

“I’m chalking it up as a great season,” Strasburg said.  “It’s unfortunate for this to happen. While I was out there, I had more people become Nats fans. I know there are going to be there when I come back in a year. I’m not too worried about it. I’ll know I’m going to work as hard as I possibly can, be back out there and show people what I can bring to the table.”

Rookie right-hander Stephen Strasburg has a significant tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery, the Nationals announced in a conference call on Friday.

Strasburg, who was originally placed on the disabled list because of a flexor strain in his right forearm, had an arthrogram performed on Thursday to determine if something is seriously wrong, and doctors found ligament damage in the elbow.

“He is going to go out and attack his rehab and get ready to pitch better than he has in the past,” general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Strasburg will seek a second opinion from Dr. Louis Yocum in Southern California before the Nationals make a final decision on surgery. But the club believes that surgery is necessary. Strasburg is expected to be 100 percent in between 12 and 18 months.

“We feel there is a significant tear and there is going to be Tommy John surgery,” Rizzo said. “Louis Yocum is one of the leading experts in this field. We are certainly going to listen to what he says, but I anticipate Stephen will have Tommy John surgery.”

The Nationals knew about the test results as early as Thursday afternoon, but Strasburg requested that the release of the news be delayed because he didn’t want to put a damper on the news conference introducing Bryce Harper — taken by the Nats No. 1 overall in this June’s First-Year Player Draft — to the media.

“We are going to take this news, persevere, move on and get our rotation intact,” Rizzo said. “It’s depressing, but I look at the brighter side. I look to Tommy John as a surgery that has great success.

“We have a big, powerful 23-year-old right-handed pitcher with power stuff. The success rate for guys coming back from Tommy John and retaining that stuff is very good. We saw two examples of it on the mound yesterday with Chris Carpenter and Jordan Zimmermann. We saw Tim Hudson come back from Tommy John surgery in Atlanta.”

According to a baseball source, Strasburg was devastated when told he may have Tommy John surgery. According to the source, Strasburg said, “What are you talking about? I feel fine. I feel nothing.”

Strasburg, who was not available for comment, hurt his forearm on Saturday in an 8-1 Nationals victory over the Phillies. With the Nats leading, 5-1, and one out in the fifth, Strasburg was facing Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown when — on a 1-1 pitch — he grimaced in pain and shook his right arm.

Strasburg then motioned for the Nationals’ trainer to come to the mound. Manager Jim Riggleman, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz came out to see what was wrong with Strasburg, who wanted to stay in the game but left a few moments later.

On Sunday, Strasburg underwent an MRI on the forearm, and the team doctor didn’t like what he saw, so Strasburg had to wait until the swelling subsided before undergoing an arthrogram.

Almost immediately, Strasburg became the ace of the Nationals’ staff, going 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA in the first 12 starts of his career. He currently leads the Nationals in strikeouts with 92.

This marks the second time Strasburg has needed to be shut down because of an injury. On July 28, Strasburg was scratched from his start against the Braves after experiencing right shoulder stiffness during his warmups in the bullpen.

Instead, reliever Miguel Batista made the spot start for Washington and delivered a brilliant effort, throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the season to help the Nationals shut out Braves, 3-0.

Strasburg, the No 1. overall pick in the 2009 Draft, was warming up just minutes before that game when McCatty and Kuntz noticed that something was wrong with the righty after eight pitches. Strasburg told McCatty that he was stiff but could pitch in the game.

Riggleman and Rizzo were informed of Strasburg’s arm issue, and Rizzo pulled the plug on Strasburg’s start. Strasburg was placed on the DL the next day.

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg is likely headed to the 15-day disabled list because of a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm, according to a baseball source.

The team may not make the move until Thursday, when he is scheduled to make his next start.

Strasburg hurt the forearm on Saturday in an 8-1 victory over the Phillies. With the Nationals leading, 5-1, with one out in the fifth, Strasburg was facing Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown. On a 1-1 pitch, Strasburg threw a ball, but was grimacing in pain after the pitch and shaking his right arm. 

Strasburg then motioned the trainer to come to the mound. Riggleman, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz came to see what was wrong with Strasburg, who wanted to stay in the game, but left a few minutes later.

Strasburg threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out six batters and walking none. He threw 56 pitches, including 38 strikes.

It marked the second time Strasburg had to be shut down because of an injury. On July 28, Strasburg was scratched from his start against the Braves after experiencing shoulder stiffness during his warm-ups in the bullpen.

Instead, reliever Miguel Batista made the spot start for Washington. And he delivered with a brilliant effort, throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the season as the Nationals shut out Braves, 3-0.

Strasburg, the No 1. overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, was warming up just minutes before the game when McCatty and Kuntz noticed that something was wrong with the righty after eight pitches. Strasburg told McCatty that he was stiff but could pitch in the game.

Riggleman and general manager Mike Rizzo were informed about Strasburg’s problem, with Rizzo pulling the plug on Strasburg’s start. Strasburg was placed on the disabled list the next day.

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg left Saturday’s 8-1 victory over the Phillies with a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm.

General manger Mike Rizzo said Strasburg will undergo an MRI exam in Washington on Sunday and the team hopes to have the results the next day. Rizzo declined to say if Strasburg is finished for the season.

“You are always concerned when your pitcher leaves in a middle of a game, but we are going to see what the MRI says and we will react accordingly,” Rizzo said.

With the Nationals leading, 5-1, with one out in the fifth, Strasburg was facing Domonic Brown. On a 1-1 pitch, Strasburg threw a ball, but was grimacing in pain and shaking his right arm.

“It’s [too bad] that he got hurt. [Home plate umpire] Brian [O'Nora] said he heard something pop,” Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino said.

Strasburg then motioned the trainer to come to the mound. Manager Jim Riggleman, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz came to the mound to see what was wrong with Strasburg, who wanted to stay in the game, but left a few minutes later.

Riggleman said he would have kept a veteran like Livan Hernandez in the game if he had asked to stay in, but not a rookie like Strasburg.

“[Strasburg] said I feel good. I don’t even feel anything. I want to keep pitching. We choose not to do that,” Riggleman said.

Strasburg threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out six batters and walking none. He threw 56 pitches, including 38 strikes.

“He was throwing the ball very well,” Riggleman said.  “You hate to see anybody show some signs that they are a little tender out there. Certainly with Stephen, we are going to be a little careful. We just hope for the best. He’s get looked at tomorrow and hopefully get good news.”

Right-hander Craig Stammen entered the game to finish off the inning. Stammen saw what was going on with Strasburg and figured that he would have to get in the game right away.

“I was the only one in the bullpen who actually saw him shake his arm,” Stammen said. “And I looked in the dugout. I said ‘Oh, oh, that might be me [coming into the game].’ I didn’t know if I was going to throw in the bullpen or go straight to the mound. I went straight to the mound. That’s what I did.

“The only question was, how many pitches I was going to throw. It was kind of awkward because everyone was waiting for the game to start and I was trying to get loose.”

It marks the second time Strasburg had to be shut down because of an injury. On July 28, Strasburg was scratched from his start against the Braves after experiencing shoulder stiffness during his warm ups in the bullpen.

Instead, reliever Miguel Batista made the spot start for Washington. And he delivered with a brilliant effort, throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the season as the Nationals shut out Braves, 3-0.

Strasburg,  the No 1. overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, was warming up just minutes before the game when McCatty and Kuntz noticed that something was wrong with the righty after eight pitches. Strasburg told McCatty that he was stiff but could pitch in the game.

Riggleman and Rizzo were informed about Strasburg’s problem, with Rizzo pulling the plug on Strasburg’s start. Strasburg was placed on the disabled list the next day. He didn’t return to the mound until Aug. 10.