Washington Nationals’ prospect Seth Romero takes next step in Florida...

WASHINGTON – Nearly every professional baseball player would admit this was a season unlike any other. That holds true for left-handed pitcher Seth Romero, 24, who had never pitched above the low Single-A level before the 2020 campaign.

The Texas native made his Major League debut on Aug. 12 for the Nationals at New York against the Mets after being part of the 60-player pool in Fredericksburg.

Romero made two other appearances before he injured his right (non-throwing) hand in a fall, according to the team, which put him on the Injured List for the rest of the season.

A former first-round draft pick in 2017, Romero returned to the mound to face hitters in a game situation for the first time on Tuesday in an intrasquad game in Florida as part of the Instructional League.

“He looked strong, threw strikes and mixed speeds well with his changeup and slider,” according to Mark Scialabba, the assistant general manager, player development for the Nationals.

Romero, who went one inning, started for one team while Mason Denaburg was the starting pitcher for the other squad.

“He threw live batting practice previously. It was his first game during Instructional League,” Scialabba noted of Romero, who pitched for Auburn in the New York-Penn League and in the Gulf Coast League in 2017.

Romero had off-field issues in college but still went in the first round to Washington as the 25^th pick overall pick out of the University of Houston.

He pitched for Single-A Hagerstown in 2018 but did not appear in a pro game in 2019 as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery.