Ross must spend at least 10 days in the minors after being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, which likely rules him out for Sunday's start against the Phillies, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Nats could find a way around that rule by placing someone on the DL to open up a 25-man roster spot for Ross, but otherwise the 23-year-old may have to wait a couple weeks before making his 2017 debut. Jeremy Guthrie appears to be the first choice to take that Sunday start instead.

Ross will open the season with Triple-A Syracuse, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ross will return to the major-league roster soon enough, as he set to open the year as the Nationals' No. 5 starter in the rotation. The team does not need a fifth starter until April 9, so the 23-year-old will begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse in order to open up an extra roster spot for the first week.

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.

Ross allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out three in 4.2 innings during Saturday's GGrapefruit League game against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

His defense did him no favors Saturday, but Ross still has a strong 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB through 13.1 spring innings. The 23-year-old seems nearly ready for Opening Day, and if he's able to stay healthy in 2017 he should be able to approach 30 starts and 200 innings for the first time in the majors.

Ross held the Astros scoreless for four innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out four, in Sunday's Grapefruit League game.

EDGE Analysis

He was throwing to new Nats catcher Matt Wieters for the first time in a game setting, so his strong performance was doubly encouraging. Ross now has a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB through 8.2 spring innings, and seems ready to hit the ground running once Opening Day rolls around.

Ross tossed 2.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three.

EDGE Analysis

The runs scored on back-to-back solo homers by Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez, as Ross found himself fighting his mechanics a little on the mound and wasn't able to locate his pitches effectively. He still has plenty of time to work out the kinks before Opening Day, however, and the 23-year-old could have a big season from the middle of the Nats' rotation if he can stay healthy.

Ross tossed two shutout innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, allowing one hit and striking out one.

EDGE Analysis

The 23-year-old battled shoulder issues in 2016, but Ross appears to be fully healthy headed into this season. His career high for innings pitched in a season is 152.2 (across three levels in 2015), but if he stays off the shelf he should be able to top that and take a run at his first major league campaign with double-digit wins and triple-digit strikeouts.

Ross plans on focusing on the development of his changeup this spring, The Washington Post reports. "That's probably the biggest thing I'm going to work on throughout the spring," Ross said Tuesday. "I'm going to try to get with Max [Scherzer] and [Stephen Strasburg], I think, because obviously their changeups are pretty phenomenal. But just trying to stick with them and pick up a few things every day. And honestly, just keep throwing it. I can talk about it as much as I want, but until I actually throw it and start getting on the mound with it, nothing much is going to change."

EDGE Analysis

He threw the pitch 8.8 percent of the time last year, and it was more effective than it had been in 2015, but it's still far from a reliable pitch for Ross. An improved change should help him against left-handed hitters, who slashed .313/.385/.439 against him last season, and allow him to take the next step forward as a pitcher, but wait to see whether he shows a feel for it in Grapefruit League action before expecting any sort of breakout campaign from the 23-year-old.

Ross will start Game 4 of the NLDS on Tuesday against the Dodgers, MLB.com's Jamal Collier reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ross will take the ball Tuesday for the first time this postseason with the Nationals looking to clinch the series victory. Ross squared off against the Dodgers earlier this season on June 22 and allowed two earned runs while posting a 5:1 K:BB over 6.1 innings.

Ross went four innings against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander was not especially efficient, needing 90 pitches to complete the four frames, but what's important is that he's rebuilt his strength in time for the postseason. Ross missed two and a half months due to a shoulder injury, limiting him to 19 starts during the course of the 2016 campaign. He appears on track to start a game in the NLDS with Stephen Strasburg unavailable due to an elbow issue.