Nationals select contract of RHP Joe Ross
The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Joe Ross, optioned right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole to Triple-A Syracuse, and moved right-handed pitcher Craig Stammen to the 60-day disabled list on Saturday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
Ross, 22, joins the Nationals for his first Major League assignment after going 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA (16 ER/51.1 IP) in nine starts for Double-A Harrisburg. He has struck out 54 while allowing 46 hits and walking 12 over those nine starts. At the time of his promotion, Ross ranked among Eastern League pitchers in ERA (T10th, 2.81) and strikeouts (4th, 54). His 54 strikeouts led all Washington Minor Leaguers while his 2.81 ERA was good for fourth.
Ross' most impressive start of the season came on April 25 vs. Reading (PHI) when he struck out eight batters in 7.0 innings of two-hit, shutout ball in Harrisburg's 7-4 win. In his most recent start on May 31 at Bowie (BAL), Ross allowed one earned run on three hits in 7.0 innings of work, striking out seven and not walking a batter in the 6-4 defeat.
Ross was acquired, along with a player to be named later, from the San Diego Padres in a three-team trade that sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. and Minor League left-handed pitcher Travis Ott to the Tampa Bay Rays on December 18, 2014. He was originally selected by the Padres in the first round (25th overall) of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He is a native of Berkeley, California where he attended Bishop O'Dowd High School. Ross' older brother, Tyson, pitches for the San Diego Padres.
Prior to being acquired by the Nationals, Ross was rated by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in San Diego's chain. He went a combined 10-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 23 games/22 starts between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio in 2014. While with Lake Elsinore, he was named a California League mid-season All-Star and garnered California League Pitcher of the Week honors on May 5. He was promoted to Double-A in mid-July and, following the season, was rated by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in the Single-A California League.
Cole, 23, has appeared in three games for Washington (one start), notching one save in 9.1 innings of work.
Stammen, 31, was originally placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 15 with a right forearm strain. He was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five games (4.0 IP) prior to his injury. Since transitioning exclusively to relief work in 2012, the versatile righty is 17-12 with a 2.89 ERA in 167 games (246.1 IP) for the Nationals.