Stephen Strasburg close to starting rehab process

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg says he "stirred up the baseball world" before needing elbow surgery and looks forward to returning to the majors in about a year.

In his first public comments since the Sept. 3 operation, Strasburg said in a conference call Tuesday he had his cast removed about two weeks ago, has been getting his range of motion back, and "should be starting the actual rehab process shortly."

While waiting for that, Strasburg has been doing "some sort of workout every single day" to stay in shape.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft made an electrifying debut for the Nationals on June 8, with 14 strikeouts. He went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 12 starts before getting injured.