The Nationals’ West Coast trip has been a mess from the start, and Wednesday night in San Diego didn’t do much to change that. Washington is 0-6 since heading west, and the club heads into a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels still searching for a way to stop the slide.
Even so, the game gave the Nationals another look at some young arms trying to carve out a future role. One of them was Eddy Yean, the right-hander who was recalled yesterday after a promising stretch at the major-league level this season.
Yean has been sharp in limited big-league work so far, posting a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP across 8 games with the Nationals. He has struck out 7 and walked just 2, and he was brought back up after righty Zak Kent was optioned to AAA Rochester.
His outing Wednesday wasn’t as clean. Yean worked one inning and gave up 3 hits and an earned run, though 2 of those hits were infield singles. One came off Jackson Merrill, a player the Nationals once hoped to land in the 2022 Juan Soto deal before the Padres kept him and sent Washington other pieces, including James Wood, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, and Top 100 pitching prospect Jarlin Susana.
Still, Yean’s chance is clear. With the season winding down, he has an opening to strengthen his case for a spot in the Nationals’ bullpen heading into 2027.
That path matters even more after Washington’s bullpen set the all-time blown saves record, leaving very few jobs locked in. If Yean can keep stacking the kind of outings he has delivered in 6 of his 8 appearances this year, he could put himself in position to be a late-inning option for Blake Butera next season.
In Other News...
Nationals Avoided The Worst With Orlando Ribalta But Questions Remain
Orlando Ribaltas forearm scare could have been far worse for the Nationals, and for a while it sounded like a situation that might send a ripple through the bullpen picture. Instead, the right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list after feeling discomfort, and the club at least got the relief of knowing the issue did not point to anything structural. Ribalta had taken a meaningful step forward this year, giving Washington a useful look at a pitcher whose performance had started to trend in the right direction.
Even with the best-case medical news, the timing is still frustrating for both sides. Ribalta is expected to be unavailable the rest of this season, which shuts the door on whatever role he might have carved out down the stretch and leaves his status focused on getting back to full strength for the next spring. For a Nationals team trying to piece together a bullpen, it also means one of the more encouraging internal options is suddenly pushed back to the offseason competition for a job. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Just Lost Time On A Late Infield Test
The Nationals were in the middle of a late infield look when the roster took an unexpected turn. Nasim Nunezs absence leaves Washington with one less option to sort through as it continues evaluating how different defensive alignments might fit around the rest of the roster, a small but meaningful interruption for a team still trying to learn what it has.
In his place, the club brought back outfielder Andrew Pinckney for his second stint with the major league team. It is a practical move to keep the roster moving, but for Washington it also means the infield test that had been underway will have to pause for a few days while the team adjusts around one fewer candidate in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Catching Depth Just Took Another Hit They Couldnt Afford
The Nationals catching picture got a little thinner again with Drew Millas headed for more time on the sideline. He has been out since mid-July and was moved to the 60-day injured list in September, a tough stretch for a player who had carved out a useful role with his glove even while the bat lagged behind.
Millas has appeared in 50 games in 2026 and offered solid defensive numbers, which is part of why his absence has mattered beyond the obvious depth chart hit. What makes this latest setback harder for Washington is the broader pattern around his hand, a lingering issue that has kept interrupting any chance at real stability behind the plate. [Read more 🡒]