Nationals pitching prospect Matt Purke will make his professional debut Wednesday for Hagerstown, according to a club source.
Purke will start for the Suns, the Nationals' Single-A affiliate, as they finish up a three-game series Wednesday morning at Greensboro.
Game time 10:45 a.m. No details on if Purke is on an innings limit or pitch count for this first start.
For Purke, 2012 has been spent exclusively in extended spring training, where the left-hander has been working since April. The lefty made two appearances with the Nationals during spring training, posting a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 innings.
In his most recent extended spring start last Thursday, the 2011 third-round draft pick pitched six innings and reported no problems with a historically troublesome shoulder. Purke had been receiving seven days off between starts and will now have to get used to just six days.
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