Chien-Ming Wang hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since July of 2009 and has given the Nationals nothing in return for a pair of one-year contracts, but it sounds like he’s finally close to returning to the majors.
Wang tossed six shutout innings last night at Double-A, giving him a 1.00 ERA and .203 opponents’ batting average in 18 total innings in the minors.
Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com reports that Wang’s fastball was clocked as high as 94 miles per hour and adds that “at this point it seems hard to believe the right-hander won’t be in the majors soon.”
He speculates further that Wang could step right into the rotation if Jason Marquis is traded before the July 31 deadline, although even if that doesn’t happen you’d think the Nationals could find room for Wang in the rotation or the bullpen.
