Nationals Want to Control Environment for Stephen Strasburg’s Rehab

Think about how careful teams try to be when their top players are rehabbing an injury.  Now think about Stephen Strasburg and how much he means to the Nationals organization.  With that in mind, it is no surprise that Washington is taking extreme precautions with Strasburg as he recovers from Tommy John surgery and looks to get back to the majors.

Having said that, someone will need to explain to me what the Nationals mean by wanting to “control the environment” during  Strasburg’s minor league rehab appearances.  Nationals G.M. Mike Rizzo told the Washington Post on Tuesday that the team continues to monitor strength and stamina, not results.  He also made it clear that the 23-year-old will only pitch at home.

“The most important thing is the team’s at home,” Rizzo explained. “Because we need to control the environment, and we have that capability when we’re at home.”

Curt Schilling will hate Strasburg even more when he hears this.  Am I the only one who has no clue what that means?  The Nationals’ minor league teams don’t play in a dome or enclosed stadium, so Rizzo can’t be talking about temperature.  Is it because he can go into the locker room after his work is done and receive treatment in a team-owned training room?  It may surprise you, but I’m honestly not even trying to be a wise ass.  Maybe I don’t understand how minor league rehab assignments work, but I have no idea what controlling the environment means so any help grasping that concept would that would be appreciated.