WASHINGTON - Pat Rice was encouraged after Jackson Rutledge, 22, retired four batters with two strikeouts on August 10 at home against Salem for Single-A Fredericksburg.
The right-hander and first-round pick in 2019 by the Nationals out of a junior college in Texas dealt with minor shoulder problems earlier this season, then made that short outing.
“He looked really good,” Rice, Fredericksburg’s pitching coach, told Federal Baseball on Monday.
But then Rutledge had to deal with blister problems after that August 10 appearance.
Now he appears ready to return, and Rice said Rutledge is slated to start for Fredericksburg today at Salem in southwest Virginia.