Stephen Strasburg could be appearing on your video game console as soon as midnight, and when he does, he'll be the 15th-best starting pitcher in all of MLB 2K10 - just seven innings into his career.
2K Sports told Kotaku this afternoon that Strasburg, the Washington Nationals phenom who fanned 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in an appointment-television debut on Tuesday night, will be in the game's next roster update, and it may be available as soon as midnight tonight, U.S. Pacific Time.
When that roster is available, Strasburg will debut as an 87-rated starting pitcher - ahead of mainstays like the Yankees' A.J. Burnett, Houston's Roy Oswalt and grenade-spam hater Cole Hamels. He will be by far the best starter on the Nats' staff - Livan Hernandez is currently rated a 75 - and would be the top starter on 15 other ballclubs.
MLB 2K10's "MLB Today" mode allows folks to play with the day's real-life games with their actual starters and lineups. These rosters update periodically, usually every couple of weeks.
Strasburg was not available yesterday, either because his start wasn't announced by the time of the last roster update or, more likely, because the likenesses of minor league players are prohibited from appearing in a video game unless and until they have a game of major league service. So unfortunately, MLB 2K10 was shut out of the most heavily anticipated springtime baseball game in recent memory.