On Wednesday, Jarlin Susana finally got back on a mound for Double-A Harrisburg, and the Nationals’ top prospect wasted little time reminding everyone why his name keeps coming up in big-picture conversations.
Susana, the 22-year-old flamethrowing right-hander, had spent the entire season on the shelf after undergoing a surgical procedure on his lat last year. He didn’t begin his rehab assignment until Aug. 11 with High-A Wilmington, and the results were exactly what Washington wanted to see. He did allow four earned runs in his second start, but over the full rehab stint he piled up 13 strikeouts against three walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Then came Wednesday. In his return to Double-A, Susana delivered 2 2/3 innings of work, giving up just one hit while striking out four and walking one. For a pitcher whose season had been reduced to rehab outings and brief appearances, it was another sharp step forward.
The problem is simple: there still hasn’t been much volume. Wednesday marked just his fourth outing of the season, and that leaves the Nationals with a talented arm who won’t have much innings work banked when the 2026 campaign arrives. For a pitcher who could be knocking on the major league door next year, that matters.
That’s why the Arizona Fall League makes so much sense.
MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra pointed to Susana as a strong candidate for the AFL, writing, "... He's been rehabbing there and not making very deep outings so far as his season high in a single outing is 2 2/3 innings. ... This is the perfect opportunity to pick up more innings, get it against good competition and maybe it can be a springboard for him for next year," wrote Sam Dykstra.
Susana isn’t the only elite name headed to Arizona. Three top 100 prospects are already set to play in the AFL this year: Caleb Bonemer of the Chicago White Sox at No. 30 overall, Arjun Nimmala of the Los Angeles Angels at No. 38 overall and Aiva Arquette of the Miami Marlins at No. 63 overall.
For Washington, this feels like the obvious next move as long as Susana stays healthy. The Nationals have already seen what that kind of stage can do for their own prospects. Seaver King used his AFL experience as a launch point for a career turnaround, and Jake Bennett’s strong play there helped Washington turn him into part of the trade that brought back right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales.
Susana needs innings, and the Arizona Fall League would give him exactly that against some of the best competition he’s faced so far. First comes health for the rest of this season.
After that, the Nationals should send him to the desert. It just makes too much sense not to.
In Other News...
Nationals May Have Found A Late-Season Boost In Young Arm
After grinding through an eight-game losing streak against Miami, the Nationals finally found some traction behind a young arm and a lineup that did enough damage to make it matter. Jackson Kent gave Washington a much-needed lift on the mound, working deep into the game while the offense piled up nine runs, with Brady House delivering the big swing in the form of a three-run homer.
The larger takeaway may be what this kind of night could mean down the stretch for a club still looking for stability. Washington also got encouraging news on James Wood, who is expected back from the injured list within a week, giving the Nationals a chance to add a middle-order bat just as a late-season spark from Kent and company starts to look more believable. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Prospect Bats Are Sending A Clear Message Down The System
Rochester found a way to turn a tight game at Buffalo into a 5-3 win, leaning on timely offense after falling behind early and then settling in behind a solid relief effort. The Nationals upper-level affiliates had plenty of movement across the system on the same night, with Harrisburg going to extra innings at Chesapeake, Wilmington rolling through a doubleheader against Jersey Shore and Fredericksburg trying to keep pace in a close loss to Delmarva.
The broader takeaway for Washington is hard to miss: the bats are doing a lot of the talking right now. Wilmingtons sweep, including an 8-1 opener and an 11-2 nightcap, stood out as the kind of sustained production clubs like to see from prospects, while Rochesters comeback added to the sense that offensive pressure is showing up from top to bottom. Harrisburg and Fredericksburg came up short, but even in those games the system continued to generate enough action to suggest the organization has more than one lineup worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals May Have A New Rotation Question After Kents Breakout
Kents latest turn through the rotation gave the Nationals something they have been trying to sort out all year: a young arm who suddenly looked capable of carrying a game. The No. 9 prospect worked deep into the night at Nationals Park against the Marlins, limiting Miami to one run while helping Washington roll to a 9-2 win. For a club trying to piece together stability on the mound, the performance came at a time when every encouraging start matters.
The bigger question now is what comes next for a pitcher who had been searching for his footing only days earlier. Since debuting Aug. 12, Kent has already been tested in a short big league sample, and this outing suggested a different level of comfort and command. He navigated the Marlins over a heavy workload and gave the Nationals reason to wonder whether a breakout is arriving at just the right moment, with more rotation decisions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]