Hellickson will enter the rotation and make his first start of the season Wednesday in Philadelphia, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since the Nationals didn't require a fifth starter until the upcoming week, Hellickson opened the season in the bullpen, with his lone appearance coming April 2. Hellickson has presumably kept his arm conditioned for starting duty through additional work in simulated games and bullpen sessions, but the Nationals still may not ask him to clear 100 pitches in his first outing as a member of the rotation. Over 19 starts with Washington in 2018, Hellickson proved to be a solid back-end arm, finishing the season with a 3.45 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 91.1 innings.