Despite giving up his first AAA runs on Monday, speculation about when Stephen Strasburg will make his move to the parent club is starting to really heat up. Early June has long been considered the most logical time for the Nationals to call Strasburg up to the big show, but now the specific game Strasburg will make his debut is becoming a little bit more clear.
Most experts have pegged Friday June 4th, a home game against the Cincinnati Reds, as the most likely date for Strasburg’s first start. According to CSN Washington, June 4th makes sense in terms of Strasburg’s pitching schedule, as well as his long term future with the team.
As others have pointed out, if Strasburg debuts on June 4th, he will get two home starts before the following road trip, and tickets have been going fast for the home stand. To ensure a viewing of the pitching phenom at Nationals Park, fans can still only guess and Stan Kasten quipped to purchase season tickets as usual. I can’t imagine the Nationals would give away the ticket sales boon to another team even if they are already reaping benefits of the guessing game, yet starting Strasburg on the road doesn’t seem as unimaginable as it did a month ago. Still, I’m sticking with the first week of June, which also guarantees he is beyond the Super Two date.
Adam Kilgore is now reporting that the Nationals have announced that Strasburg will make his next start on Saturday with Syracuse against Scranton Wiles-Barre, meaning that Strasburg is still on schedule to arrive in Washington on June 4th