According to a tweet from Andrew Golden of The Washington Post, MacKenzie Gore will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a finger blister. Left-handed reliever Joe La Sorsa will be called up in his place.
The finger blister flared up during Gore’s start last night, where he went four innings while allowing four earned runs. The timing of Gore’s placement on the injured list likely marks the end of the season for him, as there will only be six games left in the season when he can be activated.
25-year-old La Sorsa has thrown 23.2 innings in the majors this year with a 6.08 ERA. His 4.74 Fielding Independent Pitching suggests he has been a little unlucky this year.
This leaves the Nationals with two decisions for the rest of the season. Do they move back to a five-man rotation for the final three weeks of the season? Or do they instead call up a starter to replace Gore? If they opt for the second option, 2019 first-round pick Jackson Rutledge seems to be the most likely candidate.
Across Double-A and Triple-A this season, Rutledge has made 23 starts, throwing 119 innings with a 3.71 ERA. He has struck out 106 batters and walked 55. His last start came on September 1 after being scratched from his start last night for an undisclosed reason. If he is healthy, Rutledge could make his major league debut sooner than what would have been Gore’s next turn in the rotation.