Roto Rush: Stephen Strasburg, Meet Tommy John

Look at that elbow closely. Take a picture of it. Frame it.

It'll never be the same.

On Friday, the Washington Nationals revealed that phenom Stephen Strasburg has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his $15.1 million pitching arm. He'll go for a second opinion on Friday, but all signs point to Tommy John surgery and the 12-18 month recovery that comes along with it.

The fantasy fallout? In my opinion, not only can you safely drop Strasburg in re-draft leagues, but you can probably kick him to the curb in keepers as well (read on). We already know we're not going to see him until 2012, and even then, who knows how effective he'll be?

Will he still be able to throw as hard? If not, can he be as dominant without a triple-digit fastball? Will his pitches still have the same movement? How many years do we have to wait before he's able to throw 200 innings? Five? Suffice it to say, we have more questions than answers.

Strasburg doesn't have a serious shoulder injury, so at least he's got that going for him (although he did have a minor shoulder issue earlier this season). Still, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior are fresh in the fantasy owner's mind. Never mind the countless others who washed out early or who could no longer toss the pill at an elite level because of arm problems. It's important to note that guys like Josh Johnson and Chris Carpenter are the exception, not the rule.

I suppose the keeper league owner could just stash Strasburg on the DL for the duration of 2011; it all depends on how many DL spots you have to play with, if you have a reserve list where you can keep inactives, and of course, the cost. If you have to sacrifice an early pick or part with significant coin to hold onto him, it's probably not worth it. Your other keepers factor into the decision making as well.

There's still some upside here, you just have to balance it with your chances of contending. And then hope he can return to form in 2012.

Moving on ...

Albert Pujols launched home run No. 400 on Thursday night. In doing so, he became the third-youngest player -- behind Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. -- to reach the milestone. In terms of at-bats, Pujols is the fifth-fastest to 400 homers. Only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, Harmon Killebrew, and Jim Thome -- yes, Jim Thome -- hit 400 in fewer at-bats. I'm not sure if that makes Thome's career more impressive or if it makes Albert Pujols seem more human. Either way, any time you can be mentioned in the same sentence as the Babe, you know you've done something special.

Pujols plans to celebrate the feat by attending a Tea Party rally with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin in the nation's capital on Saturday.

Obviously, there's zero fantasy slant here; we all know Pujols is pretty good at baseball. I'm simply celebrating greatness (and praying I can roster Pujols at least once before his peak, or career, is over).

Bits From the Box Scores:

• It's only fitting that we move from Strasburg and Pujols into a discussion about Jordan Zimmermann, who Thursday made his first big league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last July. He wasn't exactly sharp, allowing seven hits and five runs (including Pujols' 400th homer) over four innings, but he did strike out four while walking just one, and again, it was his first start in over a year. Be patient, he can still help down the stretch.

• Wandy Rodriguez extended his string of dominance, limiting the Phillies (at Philly) to just a single earned run over seven innings. He's now gone seven consecutive starts allowing two earned runs or fewer, with a 54/9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 48 1/3 innings. Kudos to those owners who stayed patient with Wandy this season (unlike this guy); handsome is your reward.

• Yovani Gallardo surrendered six earned runs in 6 1/3 frames to the Dodgers on Thursday, the second consecutive start he's allowed as many runs. Over his last four starts he has a 7.94 ERA. No reason to panic just yet (no reason to pull a gun on him either). He still struck out 10 against just two walks, and has two double-digit strikeout performances in his last five turns. Keep the faith.

• Cliff Lee gave up five earned runs to the Twins on Thursday night, and has yielded 23 earned runs over his last four starts. Like Gallardo, nothing to worry about here; he's still elite. Jim Thome (18) and Delmon Young (16) homered for Minnesota, while Vlad Guerrero hit his 24th long ball for the Rangers. Francisco Liriano started on eight days rest but it didn't affect his performance. He struck out six and allowed two earned runs over seven frames to pick up win No. 12.

• Ian Kennedy looked like an ace on Thursday, blanking the Padres over seven frames. He allowed just a single hit while striking out 12 to pick up his eighth win of the season. It remains to be seen if the Diamondbacks will shut him down early -- he threw just 23 2/3 innings in 2009 -- but with potential matchups against San Diego, San Francisco (twice), and Pittsburgh still on the calendar, he's worth the speculative grab (19% owned).

• Max Scherzer gave up Jose Bautista's league-leading 41st homer on Thursday, but that was the only run he would surrender the rest of the night (8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). Scherzer's limited the opposition to two earned runs or fewer in six consecutive starts, and one earned run or less in eight of his last 11. He's a plug-n-play from here on out. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

• Chris Perez picked up the rare five-out save on Thursday, his 16th of the season. Perez has a 13:0 K/BB with just two earned runs allowed in nine appearances since Kerry Wood was traded. He's also available in over 40% of leagues.

• Worried about Hanley Ramirez's "down year"? Don't be. He went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI against the Mets on Thursday, and is well on his way to another .300-20-80-100-30 season. Best of all, he's coming through when it counts most, sporting a .360-4-9-21-5 line since August 1. One guy you should be concerned about is rookie Mike Stanton. He went 0-for-4 on Thursday and is in the midst of a 1-for-32 slump. Bench him until he shows signs of breaking out of it.

• Edwin Jackson's eight-inning, three-hit, zero-run, 10-strikeout performance on Thursday night was impressive, but it's almost become the norm for him. He's allowed a total of three earned runs in four starts with the White Sox, with a 34:6 K/BB in 28 innings pitched. He'll get Cleveland, Detroit (twice), Kansas City, and Oakland in five of his last six starts. Can I get a "must-start" from the congregation? In other White Sox news, Mark Teahen went 2-for-4 and is now 11-for-28 (.393) with a homer, six RBI, and seven runs scored in his last eight. Eligible at first, third, and the outfield, deep league owners would be wise to show him some love. Lastly, hats off to Juan Pierre, who reached the 50-stolen base plateau for the fifth time in his career.

The Afflicted: Jose Reyes was pulled from Thursday night's contest after re-aggravating an oblique strain. He'll miss at least the next few days. Daisuke Matsuzaka (back) was scratched from his Friday start; no word on when he'll return to the Red Sox rotation. Clint Barmes isn't hurt, but he's been placed on the bereavement list while he deals with a family matter. This one shouldn't hurt too much; he'd already lost his starting job to Eric Young Jr. Billy Butler will miss at least the next two days with inflammation in his right hand. It's possible he sits out the entire weekend series. Plan accordingly. Colby Rasmus appeared as a pinch hitter on Thursday, but a lingering calf injury will keep him out of the lineup until at least Saturday. Ian Kinsler (groin) will begin a rehab assignment this weekend. The Rangers are targeting September 3 for his return. If you were holding out hope that Dustin Pedroia might return this season, you can now give up the ghost. Boston's second baseman looks like he's headed for season-ending surgery on his broken foot.

Locking Your Lineup: No day games on Friday. Games get underway at 7:05pm EST.

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.