Tuesday is the start of a brand-new opportunity for the Washington Nationals. For a club fighting day by day to remain in playoff contention, they need all the wins they can get at this point. Their next opponent will be the Chicago Cubs, who come to Washington led by superstar outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is one of the frontrunners for NL MVP as of right now.
With the Nationals facing off against Chicago for a 3-game set, they will need to get some sharp starting pitching in order to remain competitive. After veteran righty Zack Littell was designated for assignment last week, we now know who will be replacing him in the rotation for what you would assume is the remainder of the season.
Nationals reportedly selecting Jackson Kent for MLB debut this week
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, who often is first to break news surrounding the Nationals these days, the team is planning on selecting the contract of lefty Jackson Kent from AAA Rochester to make his MLB debut. While the team has yet to say anything officially about when he will be making that first start, it does appear likely that it will come during this series against the Cubs.
Kent, a starting pitcher whom the Nationals selected in the 4th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Arizona, has dominated throughout the minor leagues in the Nationals' system, and now earns a well-deserved call to the big leagues. Across all talent evaluation platforms, he ranks as a consensus Top 10 prospect in the organization.
He is the top ranked healthy pitching prospect in the organization at the moment, as righties Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are still on the shelf for the time being. His underlying numbers fully support Kent's dominance of the minor leagues, and he offers a lot of traits that should give him a fairly high floor as a starting pitcher.
This year, across 20 starts between AA Harrisburg and AAA Rochester, Kent owns a 9-4 record with a 3.72 ERA and 1.124 WHIP to go along with a 105:30 K:BB ratio in 94.1 innings. His ERA of 4.38 with AAA Rochester shows there is still some room for improvement, so it is fair to temper expectations for Kent for the time being.
Nonetheless, as a guy that should be rotation piece for the team for years to come, it will be fun to see Kent get his first crack at the big leagues, while also retaining rookie eligibility heading into next season. He should slot in alongside guys like Cade Cavalli and trade deadline newcomer Connelly Early as key pieces of the team's rotation for a very long time, and that is plenty of reason to tune in.
What are your expectations for Jackson Kent when he makes his MLB debut this week against the Cubs? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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