Ross may begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse in order to open up a spot on the 25-man roster for the early part of the schedule, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 23-year-old will still be the Nats' fifth starter, but the team doesn't need a fifth starter until April 9 and Ross has minor-league options left. Sending him down would allow Washington to keep Jeremy Guthrie as a long reliever without sacrificing a bench spot, but it would only delay a tough roster decision until the second week of the regular season. If Ross does get optioned down it shouldn't impact his overall fantasy value, but it could create an interesting opportunity in leagues with late auctions that require a player to be on a 25-man roster to be eligible for a bid.