White Sox pitching coach: Strasburg prone to shoulder injuries

Sterling Cooper.

White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper compared the Nationals right-hander to Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, who both endured shoulder troubles that plagued their entire careers after arriving to the big leagues with hype similar to Strasburg’s.

“(With Strasburg) The real concern is what I call an upside-down arm action,” Cooper told MLB Network Radio on SIRIUS XM today.

“I am not wishing this guy bad, but for him to be having problems right now when they are really, really watching him what are they going to see when they are trying to get 220 innings from him? He does something with his arm action that is difficult, in my mind, to pitch a whole lot of innings on.”

The Nationals placed Strasburg on the DL retroactive to July 22, but Washington manager Jim Riggleman said he was almost certain Strasburg would start more major-league games this year.

“It reminds me a little bit of Kerry Wood, a little bit of Mark Prior. I hope I’m wrong about this,” said Cooper, whose White Sox were held to one run over seven innings by Strasburg in his third major-league start. “When you throw with the kind of talent and force that he can throw, you can break easier than let’s say a Mark Buehrle type.”

Cooper also said, “It’s very difficult to change arm action, so no I don’t think you can do that.”