Giolito is the likely candidate to pitch Sunday against Colorado after Reynaldo Lopez was optioned back to Triple-A , Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lopez's demotion opens a spot in the rotation for the Nationals, and given that Giolito only tossed one inning in his recent minor league start, he'll presumably be fresh and ready to start if called upon Sunday. While the Nationals have yet to make a formal announcement or a roster move regarding Giolito, he'll be a name to monitor throughout the weekend. Giolito notched a 4.91 ERA with a 1.91 WHIP across three starts (11.0 innings) with the big league club earlier this season.