Pudge Rodriguez Will Not Catch For Stephen Strasburg On Sunday

Read More: Ivan Rodriguez (C - WAS), Stephen Strasburg (P - WAS), Washington Nationals

It is a little over half an hour away from Stephen Strasburg's first rehab start with the Hagerstown Suns and the news coming down the wire is that Strasburg will be throwing his one to two innings without the benefit of having another rehabbing National catching for him.

Catcher Ivan Rodriguez was supposed to be rehabbing with Hagerstown at the same time and was scheduled to possibly catch for Strasburg, but the Washington Nationals decided against it citing that Rodriguez has been rushing his recovery from a strained right oblique muscle. His desire and passion to rehab and return to the field "have been more of a hindrance than a boon to his recovery."

Rodriguez has not played in a game since July 6th. The 39-year old catcher and potential future Hall of Famer has left Hagerstown to rehab his oblique elsewhere and at a slower pace. He is 158 hits away from becoming the first catcher to reach 3,000.