Nationals Reportedly Set to Promote Jackson Kent for His MLB Debut

It felt like only a matter of time before this was going to happen, but the Washington Nationals are reportedly set to promote left-handed pitcher Jackson Kent for his MLB debut.

Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required) reported the news. With the Nationals getting the day off on Monday, the insider shared that this promotion is expected to take place on Tuesday, when Washington welcomes in the Chicago Cubs for a massive three-game showdown.

The reason why this felt inevitable is twofold, as the Nationals clearly needed another starting pitcher with Zack Littell getting released this past weekend, and the fact that there were rumblings about how much Kent has been impressing down on the farm.

Jackson Kent Gets First Crack to Audition for Long-Term Rotation Spot

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kent, ranked No. 8 in Washington's pipeline, is set to have made a rapid rise up the ranks this season. He began the year with Double-A Harrisburg. But after posting an ERA of 2.35 across seven starts, he was promoted up to Triple-A Rochester, where the organization wanted to see if he could handle pitching on a big league schedule.

Despite the 4.38 ERA across 13 starts that the lefty has, he seems to have done enough to earn this opportunity. Part of the reason for that is his increased velocity. He can sit in the mid-90 mph range early during his outings, which has allowed him to strike batters out at a 25% clip in Triple-A, which puts him in the 82nd percentile.

According to Nusbaum, Kent "is regarded as one of the system's most cerebral thinkers," and that allowed him to stand out while he was still adding elements to his game. But now that he's been able to get both left-handed and right-handed batters out at a high clip, the Nationals are ready to see if he can have an impact at the major league level.

Nothing is official just yet, but Kent is reportedly set to take over Littell's spot in the rotation. Littell last pitched on Aug. 4, so the expectation is that Kent could debut against the Cubs. But because things were shifted around following the release of Littell, there's a chance the 23-year-old lefty doesn't actually make his official MLB debut until after this matchup against Chicago. However, due to this off day on Monday, manager Blake Butera could shuffle some things around when it comes to his starting unit as he gets prepared for a battle against one of the NL's best teams.

Regardless of when Kent actually pitches, this is a notable move Washington has made. And depending on how his outing goes, the top prospect could find himself pitching in the bigs for the rest of the season.

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