The Nationals have been careful with Stephen Strasburg's right arm -- so careful that they shut him down before the playoffs last season to protect his surgically repaired right elbow. So the team and its fans are likely relieved to hear from GM Mike Rizzo that Strasburg's arm is "structurally perfect." That sure beats manager Davey Johnson's gloomier assessment Monday night that Strasburg "doesn't look right to me."

So Strasburg (1-4, 3.13 ERA) can make good on his pledge to not miss a start and try to bounce back from a six-inning no-decision against the Braves, in which he struggled to keep his arm loose and throw strikes. But the whole episode makes us wonder: How much caution with a pitching prospect's arm is enough -- or too much?

• thsCoach99: "The guy has a flaw in his mechanics and elbow/forearm trouble will always be an issue for him. He does not get his arm up by the time his front foot hits the ground. Basically, his arm is late getting into a position to move forward with the ball in hand. This puts a tremendous amount of tortional pressure on his forearm and elbow. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood had the same mechanical flaw."
• paulnatlanta: "I wonder how many games Bob Gibson missed due to tightness in his forearm......... pitchers today are treated like fine china."
• Ben367172431: "Strasburg's fastball was all over the place and his velocity was down 3-4 mph (perhaps looking for more control). However, he still had one nasty curveball working."
• korzagg3.0: "Guess shutting down Strasburg and giving up in the playoffs was the right thing to do."
• DawgsBravesFalcons: "If the Nats were smart they would have handled Stasburg like the Braves handled Medlen last year. The Nats have a lot to learn from the Braves."

What do you think? Leave your comments below.