Nats encouraged by Strasburg's rehab outing

PITTSBURGH -- The Nationals received positive reports from Stephen Strasburg's Minor League rehab assignment on Tuesday night, where he tossed 3 1/3 innings for Class A Advanced Potomac. Nats manager Dave Martinez was encouraged that Strasburg's fastball velocity reached the upper 90s, and his right shoulder felt strong.
Strasburg will meet the team in New York to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in advance of another Minor League rehab start scheduled for Sunday.
"I like the fact that his velo was pretty good," Martinez said. "He topped out at 98 [mph] and was consistently at 95 [mph]."
Martinez was not sure where Strasburg would make Sunday's rehab outing, but he believed he would need at least one more outing before joining the Nats' rotation. He threw just 57 pitches during his outing Tuesday where he gave up one run with five strikeouts and one walk.
The team plans for Strasburg to rejoin the rotation after the All-Star break and to pitch during a three-game series against the Braves after the break.
Worth noting
• Ryan Zimmerman will join the team in New York where he will continue to work out and rehab his right oblique injury. The Nats want him to go through a full pregame routine before he goes out for a Minor League rehab assignment, which Martinez has said for the past week that Zimmerman is approaching "very soon."
Zimmerman will remain in New York until Sunday when he heads to D.C. to fulfill his duties as one of MLB's ambassadors for the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Then, he could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Monday.