It is a day two years coming for Nationals right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, who last appeared in the major leagues July 4, 2009. That was his last game as a member of the New York Yankees. Surgery to repair the capsule in his right shoulder came soon after he left that contest against the Toronto Blue Jays. But on Friday night, Wang will return to the big leagues with a start against the New York Mets.
No one knows what to expect. Wang — now 30 — was nontendered by the Yankees after that 2009 season because he wasn’t expected to pitch in 2010 and obviously would have accepted arbitration. Instead, Washington took a risk on him. Wang earned $2 million that first year as he began an arduous rehabilitation process in Viera, Fla., at the organization’s spring training complex. But he still wasn’t ready.
The Nats nontendered Wang last fall and gave him another $1 million for 2011. He was finally ready to begin a rehab assignment June 27 at low-A Hagerstown. He made one appearance there, another at Single-A Potomac and then two each at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. In all, Wang had a 3.14 ERA in 28 2/3 innings.
Is that enough? Not really. But once he began pitching in the minors, the Nats had 30 days to add him to the major league roster. It’s time to see whether that roll of the dice by general manager Mike Rizzo will pay off.
Wang twice won 19 games (2006, 2007) for the Yankees, but don’t let his record with New York fool you. His ERA was 3.63 and 3.70 those years, and it stood at 4.07 in 2008 when he hurt his foot. He was a very good pitcher, one of the best in the majors at inducing ground balls with a powerhouse sinker, but not an elite one. Will his velocity creep back into the low 90s? Did the surgery sap the hard, downward movement on his sinker for good? Those questions need to be answered over the final two months of the season.
