Ross (1-0) earned the win Wednesday against the Cardinals after giving up four hits with five strikeouts and one walk over six scoreless innings.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old pounded the zone all afternoon, delivering 63 of 89 pitches for strikes while also throwing a first-pitch strike to 16 of 22 batters faced. Ross is off to an impressive start in 2021 with six hits allowed and a 9:3 K:BB through 11 scoreless innings, and he lines up to face the Cardinals for his second straight outing Monday.

Ross allowed two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings in Friday's loss to the Dodgers. He struck out four and did not factor in the decision.

EDGE Analysis

Making his first start since the 2019 World Series, Ross looked terrific against a tough Dodgers squad. He tossed 40-of-67 shots for strikes and never let a runner past second base. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, his offense couldn't figure out Walker Buehler in what became a pitcher's duel. Ross will face the Cardinals in St. Louis on Wednesday.

Ross will pitch in a simulated game Wednesday, lining him up to serve as the Nationals' fourth starter this season, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

As the Nationals' fourth starter, Ross would face some difficult assignments to start the year, as he'd line up to pitch against Atlanta on Monday before heading to Los Angeles over the weekend to take on the Dodgers. That makes him unappealing as an early streamer, and he's unappealing over a larger time frame in all but the deepest formats, as he hasn't produced an ERA south of 5.00 since 2016.

Ross was acknowledged as a member of the Nationals' rotation by manager Dave Martinez on Sunday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

"So Corbin will pitch; Joe [Ross] will be back out there in the rotation," Martinez said Sunday when discussing the team's pitching plans for the final week of spring training. "And then Lester will pitch again. Then we'll get Stephen [Strasburg] out there again. We'll try to have more about how we will line this up in the next day or so, because it has been confusing. We're just trying to get guys working. With [Strasburg's] calf strain, with Jonny Lester, we're trying to make sure those guys are healthy." Ross could end up slotting in between lefties Patrick Corbin and Jon Lester rather than simply starting the fifth game of the season, but the Nats' full rotation plans after Opening Day starter Max Scherzer should become clearer this week.

Ross threw 73 pitches over five innings in a simulated game Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander faced off against Erick Fedde, his main competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. and Ross was a little more efficient with his workload. Both pitchers could begin the year in the rotation if either Stephen Strasburg (calf) or Jon Lester (neck) isn't ready for Opening Day, but if only one spot is available, it appears to be Ross' job to lose at this point in the spring. Through five Grapefruit League innings, Ross has a solid 1.80 ERA and 6:2 K:BB.

Ross touched 95 mph with his fastball while throwing 59 pitches over 3.1 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League outing against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander also impressively fanned Francisco Lindor twice on sliders. Ross averaged 94.1 mph with his heater in 2019 before opting out of last season, so seeing his velocity creep back towards its normal level is encouraging considering his long layoff. He remains on track to open the season in the Nats' rotation, although the health of Jon Lester (neck) will determine whether Ross is filling the No. 4 or No. 5 spot initially.

Ross struck out three batters in 1.2 innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Seeing his first game action of the spring after a few live batting practice sessions, Ross fanned Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith while throwing 39 pitches. The right-hander opted out of 2020 and only tossed 104 innings in 2019 as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery, so there are major question marks surrounding his ability to handle a regular turn in the rotation. That said, the Nats are still expecting him to claim the No. 5 starter role to begin the season. "Similar to riding a bike," Ross said after Monday's outing. "I feel like the extended time off, there's an initial soreness in the offseason. Every pitcher goes through it when you start playing catch again. I went through that in the initial week or two, but it wears off and you kind of get back into throwing shape; the mechanics and the timing come back to you. I feel good right now and pretty fresh."

Ross is expected to be a part of the Nationals' rotation in 2021, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old righty has been primarily a starter in his big-league career, though he started just nine games while appearing out of the bullpen in 18 more during his most recent campaign. That came back in 2019, as he opted out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A rotation role gives Ross a path to fantasy relevance, though he hasn't posted an ERA below 5.00 since 2016 and has a long history of injury problems, so that relevance may be limited to deeper formats.

Ross agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Nationals, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

EDGE Analysis

He opted out of the 2020 season, so his arm should be as fresh as ever when he reports to spring training. Ross is a bit of a forgotten man, but he should enter camp as a favorite to break camp in the rotation.

Ross is expected to opt out of joining the Nationals for the 2020 season, sources tell Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic.

EDGE Analysis

Ross is the second known player who is expected to forgo playing in 2020 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic after Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake announced his intentions earlier Monday. As a result, Ross will forgo his $1.5 million salary for 2020 before heading into his final year of salary arbitration in 2021. Ross had been a leading candidate for the fifth spot in the Nationals' rotation, but his decision to sit out the season could lead to more starting opportunities for Austin Voth and Erick Fedde.