64 James Bourque RP

Bourque was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Bourque compiled a 2.84 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB across 6.1 innings before spring training was put on hold. Nonetheless, he'll head back to the minors to begin the season after posting a 5.56 ERA across 43.2 innings in his first taste of Triple-A in 2019.

Bourque was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Bourque was shuttled back to the minors to free up a roster spot for Anibal Sanchez (hamstring), who was activated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Braves. The 25-year-old made just one appearance during his time with the Nationals, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks while recording just two outs.

The Nationals recalled Bourque from Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday.

Bourque assumed the active roster spot of fellow reliever Joe Ross, who was optioned to Triple-A Fresno. Over 14 appearances with Harrisburg, Bourque posted a 1.33 ERA to go with an eye-popping 33:6 K:BB in 20.1 innings. He'll likely be ticketed for lower-leverage usage in his initial action with the Nationals and could quickly emerge as one of the top setup options for closer Sean Doolittle if he finds some early success in the majors.

Bourque was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

As a pitcher who threw just 19.2 innings at Double-A last year, Bourque was never going to make the roster out of camp. However, he also happens to be the Nationals' top relief prospect, so it's a name to remember for 2020.