Washington Nationals: Joe Ross Starting For Syracuse Tomorrow

While Lucas Giolito will be starting for the Washington Nationals tomorrow, Joe Ross will be at triple-A Syracuse on a rehab assignment

It’s been a long time since the Washington Nationals and their fans have seen Joe Ross take the mound. Earlier today, Jamal Collier of MLB.com tweeted that Ross is going to begin another rehab assignment tomorrow at triple-A Syracuse. During today’s game against the Rockies, the Syracuse Chiefs made the announcement that Ross will start tomorrow’s game against Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox):

The 23-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched in any professional game since he started for the Chiefs on July 30. Ross hasn’t made a start at the Major League level since July 2 against the Cincinnati Reds. He has been on the disabled list since July 3 because of inflammation in his right shoulder.

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With the regular season winding down for the minor league affiliates, there aren’t many more opportunities for Ross to get some rehab starts. As Dusty Baker pointed out today in his pregame press conference, there is a chance that Ross can be in the bullpen down the road.

Last season, Ross made three relief appearances for the Washington Nationals in September. He gave up no runs in three innings of work. According to Brooks Baseball, Ross had an average velocity of 93.6 miles per hour on his sinker during the month of September.

Ross had five wins in the first two months of the season, including a stellar 0.79 ERA in the month of April. But, he gave up 21 runs over his final six starts in June and July. During the month of June, teams were hitting .278 against the right-hander (.195 in April).

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Before Ross was announced as the starter tomorrow, Lucas Giolito was scheduled to be the starter for the Chiefs. Now, Giolito will be making the fourth Major League start of his career tomorrow afternoon against the Rockies at Nats Park.

Right now, with the way the bullpen has been used in the second half of the year, Ross would be a big help to the Washington Nationals as either a starter or a reliever. While I would like to see Ross in the rotation, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try him of the bullpen. You can watch that Chiefs game tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m ET on MILB.tv