Nationals bring Jake Irvin back into the rotation with the deadline looming

The Nationals activated the right-hander from the 60-day injured list on Thursday, clearing him to start against the Braves in his first big-league appearance since late May. MLB Trade Rumors was among the first to confirm the move as word broke.

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Nationals To Activate Jake Irvin t.co/I19g5j5Fz5

Irvin's absence traces back to a right shoulder strain he suffered during a series against these same Braves back on May 23, an injury that cost him just over 2 months. He needed 3 rehab starts to get built back up, capped by a final tune-up that got him to 58 pitches, and he threw 8 1/3 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts across 2 rehab outings with Double-A Harrisburg along the way. Given the layoff, expect Washington to keep him on a pitch count for his first few starts back rather than letting him air it out immediately.

Before the shoulder issue shut him down, Irvin had actually been having a quietly interesting year. Through 51 2/3 innings he carried a 5.23 ERA, but the underlying stuff had ticked up — he was striking out roughly 25% of hitters he faced, a real jump from his 15.8% rate the year before. That's the version of Irvin the Nationals need back if he's going to matter down the stretch.

The bigger picture is that Washington is quietly hanging around the Wild Card conversation, and a healthy Irvin gives the front office another usable arm just as the front office weighs what to do with the rest of the rotation before the deadline. Bringing back a starter who can eat innings changes the math on how aggressively they need to shop, and it's one more reason this activation is more than a minor transaction line.

For now, the story is simple: Irvin is healthy enough to pitch, he's taking the ball in Atlanta, and how his arm responds over the next couple starts will say a lot about whether Washington leans buyer, seller, or stands pat when the deadline hits.