• LINK: SIGNING DEADLINE THREAD...Follow along as we wait to hear about the Nats' unsigned 2011 Draft picks.
There was a note on the Hagerstown Suns official website before @NationalsPR just made it official on the Twitter. Stephen Strasburg will return to the Hagerstown Suns for start number three of his rehab from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday afternoon when the Nats' Class-A affiliate takes on the Lexington Legends, the Houston Astros' Class-A affiliate in Hagerstown, Maryland's Municipal Stadium. In two starts so far, the 23-year-old right-hander has thrown 64 pitches, 51 of them strikes, allowing five hits and 1 ER in 4.2 IP in which he's struck out nine without allowing a walk...
As D.C. GM Mike Rizzo explained recently when he apppeared on The Mike Rizzo Show with 106.7 the FAN's Danny Rouhier, the Nats' plan for the '09 no.1 overall pick, "if his rehab goes perfectly without any setbacks or hiccups," is to have the right-hander, "... pitch 50 or so innings this year professionally to build a foundation for him to take into Spring Training and build on for next year. Just as Jordan Zimmermann did last year, he had [70.2] innings built into him for his foundation to pitch 160.0 innings this year."
Where he pitches will be dictated more by which of the affiliates are playing home games for now. According to several reports, Strasburg will be bumped up to 4.0 innings or 60 pitches this time out. Still to come this year, Strasburg's first start with Bryce Harper and hopefully, barring any setbacks, or hiccups, his return to the mound in Nats Park.