5 years agoWashington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross was optioned to Triple-A Fresno Saturday. Relief pitcher James Bourque was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg to take Ross's place. Ross was a starter from 2015-18 but was used out of the bullpen this season, having recovered from a 2017 Tommy John surgery. It has been a struggle for Ross, with a 9.22 ERA and 5.87 FIP in 13 2/3 innings, but he's hardly Washington's only struggling reliever. That's where Bourque comes in, as the 25-year-old has 33 strikeouts and just six walks in 20 1/3 innings of a 1.33 ERA at Double-A. He's worth a shot for the Nationals given their bullpen issues, but even in an absolute best case scenario he won't play himself into save situations with Sean Doolittle around. As for Ross, once a promising starter, even dynasty owners ought to be wary at this point.--Nathaniel Green
Source: Mark Zuckerman, Twitter