Stephen Strasburg underwent surgery to replace an elbow ligament Friday:

Lewis Yocum performed the procedure in Inglewood, Calif., in which a piece of ligament was taken from the 22-year-old right-hander’s left leg and transplanted into his pitching elbow.

The Nationals said that Strasburg will be released from the hospital Saturday and begin rehab on Monday at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., near his home in San Diego.

The difficult work begins. I’m looking forward to his 2013 season, when he should know how to pitch with the new arm.