Scott Olsen has begun his rehab in the minors so he could be ready to return to the Nats soon. If so, what player moves should the Nats make? The obvious one would be to demote one of the young pitchers, possibly Craig Stammen. But should the Nats do this? Or should they let the young pitchers stay on and take their lumps in this already lost season so that they get valuable experience for 2010? Scott Olsen has been a big disappointment this year, with a 1-4 record and a 7.24 ERA. All of the rookies have outpitched Olsen. Olsen actually isn't that old himself, just 25 years old. He showed some promise during his time with the Marlins but he was never what you would call dominant. Would it be completely crazy to pick Stammen over Olsen for the time being, even after Olsen is healthy enough to return? If Stammen fell apart later on, then he could get sent back down to the minors. Or some other pitcher might get hurt. Jordan Zimmermann has had some minor elbow problems although he's not expected to miss any starts.

With the season getting out of hand and another 100-loss record on the way, the Nats clearly need to figure out who should be around for 2010, 2011 and later. Is Scott Olsen a part of the long-term plans for the Nats? Does he have enough upside? Or would it be better to get an extended look at Stammen and Detwiler this year? I think the Nats will add Olsen back to the starting rotation but I'm wonder if they SHOULD do that. I don't have the answer but I think it's a good topic for discussion.