The Washington Nationals reportedly won’t be honoring Stephen Strasburg on Saturday after all.

According to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, the planned retirement press conference for the pitcher ahead of Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers has been canceled….

As for the contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted the Nationals still had to pay the rest of it out:

That contract is apparently at the center of the most recent decision, as Ghiroli reported, “it was the Nationals who approached Strasburg about retiring and paying him the full amount of his contract, sources briefed on the matter say. The team wants to change the terms.”

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg plans to retire, according to three people familiar with the matter, ending a career that started with unprecedented hype, peaked with a World Series MVP award in 2019, and ultimately was derailed by injury. He last pitched in a game in June 2022.

A news conference is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9 at Nationals Park, before the Nationals play the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, Strasburg pitched just 31⅓ innings after signing a seven-year, $245 million contract in December 2019. And since undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021 — a procedure that included the removal of a rib and two neck muscles — he logged just 4⅔ innings, all in one start that led to more pain and tingling in his shoulder and neck.

The financial implications of Strasburg’s retirement were not immediately known Thursday afternoon. But in similar cases, players and teams have reached settlements that typically lower the total money remaining on a contract. After this season, Strasburg’s contract had an average annual value of $35 million for three more years.

Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg has “severe nerve damage,” leading to doubts he will ever pitch again, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Strasburg, 34, was shut down more than a month ago, unable to take part in any rehabilitation, per the report. He had surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome and hasn’t pitched in a game since last June.

He has a history of nerve issues.

After an offseason throwing session at Nationals Park in Washington in February, he reported nerve pain in his neck and shoulder. He missed spring training and was put on the 60-day injured list before Opening Day, and although he is eligible to come off, that isn’t in the Nationals’ plans.

He had continued to try to stay in shape by working out his lower body, but that stopped because of pain, tingling and numbness.

Strasburg has pitched just 31⅓ innings in three seasons since winning World Series MVP honors in 2019 when Washington beat the Houston Astros in the Fall Classic.