Sammy Solis to start Tuesday night for Potomac at Frederick

For the first time since 2011, left-hander Sammy Solis, rated as the No. 8 prospect in the Nationals system by Baseball America, will start for high Single-A Potomac on Tuesday night, according to Nationals director of player development Doug Harris. Solis, who has recovered from Tommy John surgery, has been throwing in games in extended spring training at the Nationals' training facility in Florida. The Nationals have scheduled Solis for three innings with Potomac as the P-Nats begin a series at Frederick on Tuesday night. If everything goes as planned, he would then be ramped up to four and then five innings in successive starts. "I saw him in his outing before his last one in Florida," Harris said. "He really threw the ball well. Threw strikes with three pitches. Quality was good at times. He really appears to be progressing nicely. "We want to put him in a competitive situation, in length of outing and intensity. We have a plan defined, we will see how it goes from there." Solis was hitting the mid-90s prior to Tommy John and the Nationals will let him go out and pitch Tuesday, not concerned with hitting those numbers so early in his return from major surgery. "He has no restrictions," Harris said. "The ball is coming out of his hand really well, really cleanly. His velocity has been strong, consistent. He is right where he should be velocity wise." Solis had Tommy John surgery on March 6, 2012. Solis was 8-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 17 starts in the minors from 2009-2011, with 93 strikeouts and 23 walks. He last pitched for Potomac in 2011, when he went 6-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 10 starts.