Lit up in third rehab outing Rogers (shoulder) struck out two and covered four innings in his third rehab start Wednesday at Double-A Harrisburg, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and one walk. Impact The Nationals initially planned to bring Rogers back from the 15-day injured list as a multi-inning reliever when he first resumed his throwing program in mid-June. However, with Joe Ross (elbow) lost for the season, Stephen Strasburg (rib) facing an uncertain return timeline and with most of the Nationals' other back-end rotation options having underwhelmed, Rogers now looks to be building up for a potential starting role. Though he reached 77 pitches Wednesday and now seems to be fully stretched out, Rogers proved vulnerable to the long ball (three home runs allowed) and threw only 49 strikes. Rogers looks ready to return from the 15-day injured list from a workload standpoint, but the Nationals may want to see him sharpen his command and control in one more rehab outing before activating him.
JULY 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE