Stephen Strasburg lands on DL with neck and back issue

After Stephen Strasburg was forced to leave another start early on Friday night with what the Washington Nationals described as neck tightness, the 26-year-old right-hander was officially placed on the disabled list on Saturday.

As we noted on Friday, now seemed like the right time for Washington to give Strasburg a break, be it physical, mental or both, so he could recharge, reassess and perhaps heal. He'll have no less than two weeks to do all of which applies.

In the meantime, the Nationals will send him for a maintenance check to make sure they're not dealing with an underlying issue beyond the reoccurring neck and back tightness.

Over his last five starts, Strasburg has only totaled 16 innings, which is an alarming number for several reasons.

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Of course, concern over Strasburg's health and focus rate at the top of that list, but the team also can't continue taxing its bullpen every fifth day with Strasburg barely averaging three innings over the past month.

During that stretch, Strasburg has allowed 17 earned runs, so he's not just leaving early and wearing out the bullpen, he's also giving his offense an early hill to climb every time out. Eventually, that act wears thin, so the Nationals will hope this break can solve any and all of his issues.

There's plenty of room for speculation but few true answers surrounding Strasburg's struggles. So for now, we wait to hear what the Nationals doctors have to say, while hoping some rest and perhaps some refocus on his mechanics will do the trick. That seems like the best case scenario available.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813