Ross touched 95 mph with his fastball while throwing 59 pitches over 3.1 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League outing against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander also impressively fanned Francisco Lindor twice on sliders. Ross averaged 94.1 mph with his heater in 2019 before opting out of last season, so seeing his velocity creep back towards its normal level is encouraging considering his long layoff. He remains on track to open the season in the Nats' rotation, although the health of Jon Lester (neck) will determine whether Ross is filling the No. 4 or No. 5 spot initially.