Chart: How five other pitchers have come back from Tommy John surgery

A look at how five other pitchers have fared after coming back from Tommy John surgery:

Surgery: September 2010

• He returned for five starts in 2011. The Nationals said they would keep him under 160 innings this year and followed through, shutting down Strasburg after his Sept. 7 start. He went 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 1591/3 innings.

Surgery: August 2010

• He returned for two relief appearances in 2011. The Braves kept him in the bullpen to start 2012 and moved him into the starting rotation July 31. He finished 10-1 with a 1.57 ERA and started Atlanta's wild-card loss to the Cardinals, registering 1441/3 innings for the year.

Surgery: February 2011

• A Cy Young runner-up in 2010 to the Phillies' Roy Halladay, he missed all of 2011 but returned to his workhorse ways for the Cardinals this season, going 14-13 with a 3.94 ERA and three complete games during the regular season. He went 1-1 in the postseason, and for the year, he racked up 2132/3 innings.

• He returned to a major-league mound with the Athletics on Aug. 21 -- only 13 months after surgery -- and made it look easy. He went 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA in six starts, then threw six shutout innings against Detroit in the Division Series. Including his minor-league rehab, he pitched 661/3 innings for the year.

Surgery: November 2006

• After missing all of 2007, he opened 2008 in the Twins rotation and went 0-3 with an 11.32 ERA in his first three starts. The Twins sent him to Class AAA Rochester and after returning in August, he went 6-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 11 starts. For the year, he threw 1991/3 innings.