Joe Ross (baseball)

2.1. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres selected Ross in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, making him the 25th overall pick. He signed with the Padres despite his commitment to the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ross made his professional debut with the Arizona League Padres. Prior to the 2012 season, Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the 95th best prospect in baseball. In 2012, he pitched for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the Single-A Midwest League, but his season was largely cut short due to right shoulder inflammation, which placed him on the disabled list after he missed a May 10 start due to tightness.

He returned for the 2013 season, again pitching for the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Ross began the 2014 season with the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High-A California League. During the season, he was promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Missions.

2.2. Washington Nationals

On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Ross and a player to be named later, who was later revealed to be Trea Turner, to the Washington Nationals. This was part of a three-team trade where the Padres sent Jake Bauers, Burch Smith, and René Rivera to the Tampa Bay Rays, and Washington sent Steven Souza and Travis Ott to Tampa Bay.

On June 6, 2015, Ross was called up to the Majors for the first time, making his Major League debut as a starting pitcher on the same day. He earned wins in his second and third starts for the Nationals, outdueling Jimmy Nelson and A. J. Burnett, respectively. In his third appearance, he struck out 11 batters, ending an eight-game winning streak by the Pittsburgh Pirates. On August 6, manager Matt Williams announced that Ross would remain in the rotation, with veteran starter Doug Fister moving to the bullpen, recognizing Ross's strong performance. However, this promotion was short-lived, as on September 8, Williams moved Ross to the bullpen and Tanner Roark to the rotation, to manage Ross's undisclosed "innings limit" for the season.

Ross started the 2016 season in the Nationals' rotation but experienced another setback due to right shoulder inflammation, which placed him on the disabled list on July 3, 2016. He was reactivated on September 18. Upon his return, Ross struggled to pitch deep into games, often working in a tandem with rookie right-hander Reynaldo López for the first few innings. Ross started Game 4 of the 2016 NLDS for the Nationals, giving up 4 runs on 55 pitches over 2.2 innings.

In the first half of the 2017 season, Ross was an inconsistent contributor. He began the year with the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs but was called up after Nationals starter Jeremy Guthrie struggled. After initial struggles, he was optioned back to Syracuse on May 1. Ross returned to the major league rotation on May 23, pitching effectively against the Seattle Mariners. Through the first half of the season, the Nationals provided Ross with significant run support, averaging over 10 runs in games he started. In eight of his 13 major league starts in 2017, the Nationals scored at least 10 runs. However, in his last start on July 9 against the Atlanta Braves, Ross exited in the fourth inning as his fastball velocity significantly dropped. On July 15, 2017, medical tests confirmed he had a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He subsequently underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction ("Tommy John surgery"), which ended his 2017 season and part of the 2018 season. In 2017, he finished with a 5-3 record and a 5.01 ERA.

After recovering from his surgery, Ross attempted to make his first MLB start in 14 months on September 7, 2018, against the Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park. The game was significantly delayed and eventually postponed due to rain. In his one and two-thirds inning outing, Ross threw 24 pitches, allowing one single and hitting one batter, but retired the other five Cubs he faced. Notably, his fastball velocity was consistently 95 mph-96 mph, occasionally reaching 97 mph, which was an improvement over his pre-surgery velocity. In 2018, across three games, he had a 0-2 record with a 5.06 ERA.

In 2019, Ross posted a 4-4 record with a 5.48 ERA. He started Game 5 of the 2019 World Series for the Nationals, filling in for an injured Max Scherzer. He allowed 4 runs over 5 innings, taking the loss as the Houston Astros won 7-1. Despite the loss, Ross received a World Series ring after the Nationals defeated the Astros in 7 games.

On June 29, 2020, Ross announced he would not participate in the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On August 17, 2021, Ross was placed on the injured list after suffering a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. On May 31, 2022, it was announced that Ross would require another Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his 2022 season.

2.3. San Francisco Giants

On January 30, 2023, Ross signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization. He played in 8 games across various minor league levels, including the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Giants, Single-A San Jose Giants, and Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. During this period, he accumulated a 5.14 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. Ross elected for free agency following the 2023 season on November 6.

2.4. Milwaukee Brewers

On December 12, 2023, Ross signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. He began the 2024 season pitching as part of Milwaukee's rotation. Through 9 starts, he compiled a 2-4 record with a 4.50 ERA and 35 strikeouts. On May 21, 2024, Ross was placed on the injured list due to a low back strain, and on June 26, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He was activated from the injured list on July 30, 2024.

2.5. Philadelphia Phillies

On December 23, 2024, Ross signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies worth 4.00 M USD. He is expected to contribute to their pitching staff for the upcoming season.