When the Washington Nationals made a flurry of trades at the trade deadline in July, they were effectively mailing in the rest of the season. Sure, they would throw nine guys out there each night, though the Nats didn’t plan on being too competitive down the stretch. A 2-13 record since July 31, has confirmed this.
However, the last two months of the season were going to be a time for the young players in the organization to get some play. For Joe Ross, it was going to be a time to solidify himself as a part of the starting rotation for years to come.
That is, until the injury bug gnawed on Joe’s right arm. A partial tear of the UCL is shelving Ross for the rest of the season, and Tommy John surgery is a possibility. For those of you not keeping track at home, Ross went under the knife in 2017 for TJ surgery.
Ross didn’t allow a run in his first two starts of the year and it appeared as if he was going to have a breakout season.
Most starts of 5+ IP and 0 ER this season:
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) August 15, 2021
8 - Zack Wheeler
7 - Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler
6 - Joe Ross (plus eight others)
Now, we don’t know when or if we will see Ross pitch again in a Nationals uniform.
Nationals pitcher Joe Ross has a partial tear of his UCL and is likely headed for another Tommy John surgery.
The health and safety of Ross is the utmost importance here. The timing is terrible for him and his career and critical for the Nationals organization as well.
Having already fallen into the basement of the National League East, the Nationals currently employ a starting rotation of three guys you hadn’t heard prior to this year, a guy with the worst earned run average in the league, and a guy trying to shake the label of first round bust.
Losing Ross for the 2022 season means they can no longer pencil in one of their more veteran pitchers. With the Nationals not in contending mode, they won’t be shelling out money for reputable pitchers in the offseason. Ross would have filled in nicely. Now he’ll be replaced by a veteran journeyman, a career minor leaguer, or someone else who comes to camp with a number in the high 70s, low 80s.
We didn’t think the season could get any worse. It is just did. Nationals fans are already wondering if Stephen Strasburg can return to his pre-surgery self, and now Joe Ross is added to the list as well.