MIAMI – When MacKenzie Gore said Tuesday he planned on pitching again this season, he actually meant he planned on pitching again this week.

Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo announced today that Gore, having recovered from left shoulder inflammation, will be activated off the 15-day injured list Thursday and start his team’s series finale against the Marlins.

“I think it was good to just let him make sure his shoulder was fine, and it wasn’t that bad,” Cairo said. “I’m glad that he’s back, and he’s going to start tomorrow.”

It’s a rapid return for Gore, who was placed on the IL on Aug. 30 (retroactive to Aug. 27). He expressed optimism all along the move was only precautionary and that he’d back pitching for the Nats as soon as possible.

Turns out he’ll be pitching on the first day he’s eligible to return, having completed a bullpen session Tuesday at loanDepot Park with no issues and declaring himself ready to go.

When Ethan Petry was selected as the Nationals’ second-round pick a month ago, he had no idea he would stick out like a sore thumb among the organization's first five picks. The University of South Carolina product was the only player of the Nats’ top-five selections to play in college.

The Nats’ first five picks all landed in both MLB Pipeline’s and Baseball America’s latest rankings of the organization's top 30 prospects. But the experienced Petry (No. 8 per Pipeline, No. 6 per Baseball America) has been the only one to get his professional career rolling, making his Single-A Fredericksburg debut on Tuesday with a hit, a run and a walk as the designated hitter.

“I'm really excited to start my career here with the Nationals,” Petry said Wednesday on the “District Chat” podcast. “Last night, got the win for Fredericksburg and just really excited to have the opportunity to play for the Nationals.”

Petry’s experience at South Carolina helped put him on a faster track to the pros than his high school draft classmates. The 21-year-old hit .321 with 10 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 26 walks and 30 runs scored in 44 games for the Gamecocks in 2025. He posted a .437 on-base percentage and a .590 slugging percentage while leading the team in home runs and ranking second in RBIs and walks.

Facing pitchers with similar or less experience in the Carolina League hasn’t been too hard.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Nationals signed second-round pick Ethan Petry today and in the process went over their total slot pool for this year’s draft.

Petry, an outfielder from South Carolina who hit 54 homers over the last three seasons, signed for $2.09 million, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. That’s slightly above Major League Baseball’s recommended slot value for the 49th overall pick in the draft ($1,984,200).

Petry was the last of the Nats’ top 10 selections to sign, so they’ve now locked up everyone who was subject to the draft pool. He joins third-round pick Landon Harmon ($2.5 million), fourth-round pick Miguel Sime Jr. ($2 million) and fifth-round pick Coy James ($2.5 million) in receiving above-slot bonuses. Petry is the lone college player from that group.

No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits officially signed last weekend for $8.2 million, a record amount for a high school player but nearly $3 million below slow value for the top choice in the draft this year. The Nationals managed to apply those savings, plus money saved with below-slot bonuses for their sixth through 10th round picks, to lure the three other high school draftees to sign instead of honoring their college commitments.

All told, the Nationals spent $17,365,000 on their top 10 picks, exceeding their MLB-designated draft pool of $16,597,800 by $767,200. That makes them subject to a league-imposed 75 percent tax on their overages, which equates to an extra $575,400 spent this year on draft picks.