MIAMI -- Right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his season debut on Thursday against the Marlins at loanDepot park, Nationals manager Dave Martinez announced Tuesday.

Strasburg has not pitched in a Major League game since June 1, 2021, and he underwent thoracic outlet surgery in late July.

¡°[Strasburg] said he felt good, so he¡¯s going to open up for us on Thursday,¡± Martinez said pregame. ¡°I¡¯m not going to put any limitations on him. We¡¯ll see how far we can take him. We¡¯ll keep a close eye on him, but this is one of the reasons why we wanted him to go through what he did and to make sure that he¡¯s fully ready.¡±

After rehabbing at the Nats¡¯ training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., the 33-year-old began a Minor League rehab assignment last month. Among the goals: hone in on mechanics and work through in-game adjustments. Strasburg made two starts with Single-A Fredericksburg and one with Triple-A Rochester. In between outings, he rejoined the Nationals to throw bullpen sessions.

Following Strasburg¡¯s last start with the Red Wings on Friday -- in which he tossed 83 pitches, allowed one hit and struck out four across six scoreless innings -- he told Martinez he was ready to return.

¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± Martinez said. ¡°He¡¯s our guy, right? Everybody knows that. It¡¯ll be a little uplifting for the guys knowing that he¡¯s pitching on Thursday.¡±

Thursday marks an important milestone for the pitcher, who has been limited to just 26 2/3 innings since going 5-0 in the 2019 postseason and being named World Series MVP. He threw only five innings in 2020 before being shut down for season-ending carpal tunnel surgery on his right hand.

¡°It¡¯s definitely a little bit more of a challenge when you get older,¡± Strasburg said recently. ¡°It¡¯s not so much an age thing as much as all the surgeries I¡¯ve already had. It¡¯s learning to work with what you¡¯ve got at this point.¡±

Martinez is optimistic Strasburg could reach the target of 20 starts this season. His approach in managing Strasburg¡¯s appearances is ¡°one pitch at a time and see where he¡¯s at.¡± There is an open spot in the rotation for Thursday, and beyond that, he doesn¡¯t want the other pitchers to get caught up in the long-term domino effect.

¡°Some of those decisions that we make later on are really not in their hands,¡± Martinez said. ¡°The last thing I want them to think about is, is there somebody else coming up behind them? We all know how this game is and those things do happen, but I just want them to go out there and compete and fight as hard as they can to help us win games.¡±

Looking to do the same, Strasburg will return to the mound with a record of 113-61 and a 3.21 ERA over 12 seasons.

¡°I told him, ¡®For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m proud of you,¡¯¡± Martinez said. ¡°¡®I know this has been a difficult time for you, but you worked your butt off to get back. Just go out there and have fun.¡¯¡±