The Washington Nationals are set to kick off a weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning tonight, and they are still searching for their first victory in the month of June after coming off a fantastic month of May. With the team searching for answers at the moment, more questions have continued to come up from fans about the futures of some players on the club.
There are some infielders who will be under the microscope moving forward, especially on the infield, as guys like Seaver King and Yohandy Morales are knocking on the door of the majors and could be promoted seemingly any day now. However, might the Nationals have a looming starting rotation question that they will need to answer?
Andrew Alvarez making early case to stick in rotation
It went slightly unnoticed due to the Nationals not getting the victory over the Marlins in Wednesday's series finale, but lefty Andrew Alvarez pitched very well in his first start of the season for the team. After working exclusively out of the bullpen so far during his time in the majors this year, his first start was a good one.
Despite only making it through 4.2 innings as the Nationals did not want him to stretch out too quickly, Alvarez scattered 4 hits for just 1 earned run against him, and struck out 5 Marlins hitters while allowing only 1 base on balls. His control is something the Nationals could definitely use in their rotation every 5 days, making it an interesting fit long-term once the team gets healthier.
Jake Irvin is not seemingly close to a return in the interim, but he should be back later this summer. Between his own struggles and the continued inconsistencies of Miles Mikolas, perhaps Alvarez can make his case to stick around for the rest of the season. While Irvin has been a consistent rotation presence in his career, it seems like at this point he is more of a known commodity, and that he really profiles as an end of the rotation guy at best.
But Alvarez has done nothing but impress every time he's been given a chance in the majors so far, and to me, the Nationals would be foolish to not give him every opportunity to stick around for the long haul. Whether they have to move Irvin or someone like Mikolas, Alvarez will have a few more auditions to prove to the front office that he deserves to be part of the picture for the rotation.
How do you think the Nationals should arrange their rotation once Jake Irvin returns from injury? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
Add us as a preferred source on Google