Nationals recall right-hander Lucas Giolito

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-handed pitcher Koda Glover to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Giolito returns to the Nationals to make the third start of his Major League career, for which he'll take the ball on Sunday afternoon vs. the San Diego Padres. Currently ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in Major League Baseball by MLB.com and ESPN.com, Giolito entered the season as the No. 5 prospect in MLB per Baseball America. A hard-throwing right-hander who possesses an advanced fastball/curveball/changeup repertoire, Giolito is 0-0 with a 4.70 ERA in two MLB starts (both vs. the New York Mets). Giolito is 6-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 16 Minor League starts this season, spread across three levels of the Nationals' system. With Triple-A, specifically, he is 1-0 and did not allow an earned run (over 6.2 IP) in his one start with the Chiefs. Over the course of his Minor League career, Giolito has struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings and significantly limited the longball, allowing just 0.4 HR/9.0 innings (15 home runs total over parts of five seasons). Glover impressed in the first Major League assignment of his career. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and collecting one strikeout in two appearances. Advancing through four levels of Washington's system this season, Glover is 3-0 with six saves and a 2.18 ERA (11 ER/45.1 IP) in 33 games with Single-A Potomac, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. He is the second member of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft Class to make it to the big leagues.