With Joe Ross undergoing Tommy John surgery and Stephen Strasburg being briefly sidelined with a nerve impingement, the Nationals are in need of rotation help. While they're combing the trade market for a starter, the short-term solution is top pitching prospect Erick Fedde, whom they'll soon call up (source: Joel Sherman on Twitter).
The essentials ...
Erick Fedde, RHP, Nationals
Age: 24
Drafted: First round (18th overall), 2014
Signing bonus: $2,511,100
MLB.com 2017 prospect ranking: 60th overall preseason, unranked in midseason update
Career stats: 3.36 ERA and 3.80 K/BB ratio in 64 games (47 starts) across parts of three minor-league seasons.
2017 stats: 3.72 ERA, 3.29 K/BB ratio in 27 games (11 starts) at Double- and Triple-A levels.
Rapid-fire scouting report: Good fastball-slider combo, average/usable changeup, solid groundball tendencies.
Fedde will likely take Strasburg's turn on Saturday against the Rockies (the Nats are home, so no Coors Field debut for the rookie). Given that Strasburg isn't seriously hurt, Fedde may get only one start before being dispatched back to Syracuse.
Given Ross' injury and Edwin Jackson's ineffectiveness, though, the Nats are on the lookout for another starter. If they're unable or unwilling to pay the going rates on the trade market, then Fedde could be back soon. Earlier this season, the Nats gave him a need-based look as a reliever, but right now they perceive the rotation as a more pressing concern.
The question long-term, besides health (Fedde underwent Tommy John surgery as an amateur) is whether he has three big-league-grade pitches -- i.e., enough to make it as a starter at the highest level.
