Photo by Claudio O. Silva

Less than two years after surgeons reconstructed his arm, Stephen Strasburg will make the opening-day start for the Nationals. Strasburg will get the ball when the Nationals begin their season April 5 against the Chicago Cubs, the Post’s Adam Kilgore reports.

While this places the 23-year-old mound idol atop the Nats’ rotation, the team, considering Strasburg’s history of injuries, intends to allow him to pitch to no more than 160 innings during the regular season. Considering many No. 1 pitchers easily top 200 innings a year—the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander led the 2011 season with 251 innings pitched—Strasburg could top out by late summer when the Nationals could potentially be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Still, Kilgore reports, delaying Strasburg’s debut this year in order to keep him stockpiled for a possible late-season push never entered into manager Davey Johnson’s thinking:

“I like to put my best foot forward from the get-go,” Johnson said. “It’s not about Stephen Strasburg. It’s about the Washington Nationals. I’m going to put our best foot forward every step of the way.

“Everything in my baseball mind says pitch him where he belongs to pitch. And if you’ve got to shut him down, shut him down. End of story.”

Assuming Strasburg takes the lead role in five-man rotation, his first start at home should be on Monday, April 16 against the Houston Astros. We advise hitting the treadmill starting now for anyone planning on eating a Strasburger when the kid makes his home debut that night.