Marlins return Rule 5 pick Sterling Sharp to Nats

Right-hander Sterling Sharp has been returned to the Nationals and assigned to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.

The Miami Marlins selected Sharp in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December 2019. They were required to keep him on their major league roster the entire season or risk losing him, but opted Monday to designate him for assignment. That gave every other team the opportunity to pick him up, but if a team selected him it would also have to keep him on the active roster for the remainder of the season.

Apparently, no other team claimed Sharp, so the Marlins had to offer him back to the Nats. Sharp is placed on the Nats' minor league roster.

Sharp, 25, was a 22nd-round selection by the Nats in 2016. He pitched in four games for the Marlins, going 0-0 with a 10.13 ERA over 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. He did not allow a run in his first two appearances on Aug. 5 and 11, but then got hit a bit versus the Mets and Nats, respectively, on Aug. 17 and 23, allowing six earned runs on six hits.

In his most recent time with the Nats, he worked on the spin rate for his sinkerball, tinkering with it while pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

"Out there I think it was more of season's over, this is kind of like showcasing your skills," Sharp told me about his experience in the AFL. "Not trying to fight for a playoff spot, but especially for me, I played nice and relaxed. I know I have the stuff that get guys out. Hopefully, (the stuff to) get guys out in the big leagues too."

With the return of Sharp, the Nats get back a talented right-hander they worked very hard to grow in their system. He is familiar with the Nats organization and the club values his makeup and arm. The Nats are assured that, with some fine-tuning, Sharp's stuff can play at the top level. The right-hander just needs to work on his command a bit, because when his sinker is on, it is difficult to touch.

In the Nats system, Sharp started 69 games (75 appearances) since his debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Nationals in 2016. He made nine starts for Double-A Harrisburg in 2019, going 5-3 with a 3.99 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 49 2/3 innings with 14 walks.