Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister will move to the bullpen when Stephen Strasburg returns from his oblique injury Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, according to the Washington Post.

Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister will move to the bullpen when Stephen Strasburg returns from his oblique injury Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, according to the Washington Post. Strasburg struck out 11 in 5.2 innings during his last rehab appearance, clearing the way for his return. The Nationals chose to keep rookie Joe Ross in the rotation over Fister, as Ross has a 3.00 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 39.0 innings, striking out 40 while walking only four. Meanwhile, Fister is in the midst of his worst career season, posting a 4-7 record and 4.60 ERA over 86.0 innings, while striking out 48 and allowing opposing batters to hit .337. Fister's season-long struggle has seemingly come out of nowhere, as he had a 16-6 record last year with a 2.41 ERA, and had turned in four straight seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA.

Fister wasn't at his best Monday, taking the loss by allowing five runs in six innings against the Diamondbacks.

Monday marked the third time in his last four games that Fister has been tagged for at least four runs. Three home runs torpedoed his night Monday, but the silver lining is that he struck out six without allowing a walk. He'll carry a 4.60 ERA into his start this weekend against the Rockies.

Fister (4-6) picked up the win against the Marlins on Wednesday, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one.

Fister had been 0-3 in four July starts, but he pitched well enough to get the win in his fifth start this month. He didn't pitch past the sixth inning nor exceed 100 pitches in any of his five July starts, but Wednesday's win was an encouraging sign for the 31-year-old. His next scheduled start will be home against Arizona on Monday.

Fister (3-6) labored through five innings, giving up four runs and nine hits while striking out six and walking one Thursday against the Pirates.

Fister dropped his third straight decision and is now 1-5 in his last seven starts. For the season, he has a lackluster 4.50 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 38:17 K:BB ratio in 74 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next scheduled start Wednesday at Miami.

Fister took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings while striking out just one.

Thanks to the All-Star break he hadn't pitched since July 6, and the long layoff showed as his sinker didn't have its usual bite. Fister will look to rebound in his next start in Pittsburgh on Friday.

Fister pitched well in a no-decision Monday, allowing two runsone earnedin six innings against the Reds.

Fister struck out just two in the start, but limited the damage by issuing only one walk. Fister has been plagued by injury much of the season, resulting in an uncharacteristic 4.08 ERA with one start to go before the All-Star break. He'll take on the Orioles this weekend.

Fister (3-4) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four in six innings Wednesday against the Braves.

After shutting out the Braves in his most recent start, Fister gave up four runs and picked up his third loss in four starts. The Braves beat Washington for the first time since the opening game of the season series on April 27 -- also against Fister. The 31-year-old's next start is scheduled for Monday against Cincinnati.

Fister (3-3) pitched seven scoreless innings against the Braves on Thursday, giving up four hits and one walk while striking out four.

Fister's seven scoreless innings added to Washington's 41.1 consecutive scoreless innings by a Washington starter over its past six games, all Nationals victories. In just his second start since a stint on the disabled list caused by right forearm tightness, Fister came on and pitched seven innings, his longest outing of the season. He'll look to have a repeat performance in his next scheduled start Monday when he faces off again against the the Braves.

Fister (2-3) struggled in his first start back from the disabled list Thursday, giving up five runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings against Tampa Bay.

The control was there, as he didn't walk anyone, and as usual, Fister didn't miss many bats (three strikeouts). He'd been inconsistent at best prior to landing on the DL in mid-May, making last season's fluky 2.41 ERA look like even more of an outlier. That said, it's strange for a pitcher like Fister to fall off a cliff this suddenly, so he's probably got a bounceback in him. He'll try to do just that Wednesday against Atlanta.

Fister (forearm) was officially activated from the disabled list Thursday and will start against the Rays.

Fister has been sidelined since mid-May with the forearm issue, but will finally rejoin the rotation Thursday. The move will initially move Joe Ross back a day, as Tanner Roark will go on the disabled list, but Fister will remain a fixture of the Nationals rotation regardless of how the rest shakes out.

Fister (forearm) will return to the rotation Thursday against the Rays, William Ladson of MLB.com reports.

After throwing a bullpen session without issue Monday, Fister will be reinserted into the rotation Thursday, taking the spot of rookie Joe Ross. Fister, who has not pitched since May 14, is 2-2 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in seven starts (39.2 innings) this season.

Fister (forearm) emerged from Monday's bullpen session feeling fine and said he feels ready to rejoin the rotation this week, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

A return now appears imminent, as Fister has worked through his rehab appearances and bullpen sessions without issue. While the Nats are yet to announce when he'll rejoin the rotation, it could be as early as Thursday when rookie Joe Ross, whose spot Fister is expected to take, is slated to take the hill.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister will start Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays after recovering from an injured forearm, according to MLB.com.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister will start Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays after recovering from an injured forearm, according to MLB.com. Fister, who has not pitched since he was placed on the disabled list May 15, feels like he is ready to return after throwing a bullpen session Monday following his rehab start last Friday. “I think I’m ready to go and feeling good,” Fister said. “Things are starting to click and go well. Trying to get back to basics and where I was before. That’s kind of the mentality I’ve taken to working on and fixing some of those. Doing that has enabled me to get back to basis and hit the low strike again and make sure the fastball’s down.” Fister is expected to be ready for a normal workload, though Nationals manager Matt Williams said the club will not push him in his first start.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister could rejoin the rotation this week after throwing a successful bullpen session Monday while recovering from a forearm injury, according to the Washington Post.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister could rejoin the rotation this week after throwing a successful bullpen session Monday while recovering from a forearm injury, according to the Washington Post. Fister has seemingly passed every test in his effort to return after being placed on the disabled list last month, but manager Matt Williams would not confirm when Fister would rejoin the team, saying they will see how he feels and go from there. “We have options to do that. We’re gonna see how he is first,” Williams said. “Then we’ll make a decision on where he slots and go from there. But health is imperative. As long as he feels good, we can say, okay, the next couple days we’ll look at it.” Fister's return will likely mean that rookie callup Joe Ross will be removed from the rotation, though he could stay up in the bullpen.

Fister (forearm) will throw a bullpen session before the Nationals determine if he's ready to be activated from the DL, Brandon Curry of MLB.com reports. "He's back in D.C. [Saturday], doing some throwing. We'll get him through a bullpen [session] and see where he's at," manager Matt Williams said.

Assuming all goes well, Fister will likely replace rookie Joe Ross in the rotation and get back on the mound Thursday.

Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister will throw a bullpen session before the team decides if he is ready to return from a forearm injury, according to MLB.com.

Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister will throw a bullpen session before the team decides if he is ready to return from a forearm injury, according to MLB.com. Fister may replace pitcher Joe Ross as the scheduled starter for Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fister (forearm) tossed six scoreless innings during his rehab start Friday at Double-A Harrisburg. He gave up two hits, no walks, and struck out four batters.

The Nationals were going to use Friday's rehab start as a means of gauging how well Fister was coming along from his forearm injury, and suffice to say, he passed the test. Unless the team wants Fister to raise his pitch count beyond the 70 he threw Friday night, he'll likely be on track to rejoin the Nationals rotation next week, presumably replacing Joe Ross.

Fister (forearm) will make a rehab start at Double-A Harrisburg on Friday, after which the Nationals will decide whether or not to activate him, Dan Kolko of MASN reports.

Fister hit the DL just under a month ago with a flexor strain in his throwing arm, but he appears close to returning to the big league club. He made a rehab start at triple-A Syracuse over the weekend, allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned) over 3.2 innings. He'll likely look to go deeper into the game Friday in hopes of proving he's ready to return to the rotation.

Fister (forearm) allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) over 3.2 innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Syracuse.com reports.

Fister's first rehab appearance went okay, but the biggest success was the fact that he had no discomfort in his forearm. With 65 pitches set as his limit Sunday, his next rehab appearance should expand the number of pitches he throws, and could possibly be his final before rejoining the Nats' rotation if everything goes well.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister allowed one earned run over 3.2 innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday while recovering from a forearm injury, according to Syracuse.com.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister allowed one earned run over 3.2 innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday while recovering from a forearm injury, according to Syracuse.com. Fister was pleased with how he performed, but he would not commit to rejoining the big club before throwing at least one more game in the minors. "I've got to go back and talk to them, kind of get our wits about us and find out where we go from here," he said. "I think there's still another start in my future somewhere else (besides Washington). But I'm definitely feeling that (a return to to the Nationals) is a possibility here shortly. We're going to reevaluate and figure it out from there." Fister is 2-2 with a 4.31 earned-run average and 18 strikeouts across 39.2 innings in seven starts this season.