Jarlin Susana is back doing what made him one of the most electric arms in the Nationals system: blowing fastballs by hitters at triple-digit speed and missing bats in bunches.
The Nationals’ No. 3 prospect turned in another sharp rehab outing Friday night for High-A Wilmington, striking out seven of the nine batters he faced over 2 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over Frederick in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Frawley Stadium.
That came nearly a year to the day after Susana logged a career-high 13 strikeouts, and the radar gun still looks just as loud. The 22-year-old right-hander has been up to 103 mph again, the same kind of heat that first grabbed attention in the Nationals’ Spring Breakout game in March 2024.
Susana has been working under a limited pitch count as he ramps back up from surgery on his right lat, an injury that ended his 2025 season early and delayed the start of his ‘26 campaign until Aug. 11.
Even in that restricted workload, the raw stuff has been overwhelming. MLB’s No. 68 prospect has struck out 13 of the first 25 batters he’s faced this year.
The fastball remains the headliner, but the slider is doing plenty of damage too. It’s another 70-grade pitch, and Friday it helped fuel a pile of ugly swings. Susana generated 10 whiffs on 21 swings overall, threw 28 of his 39 pitches for strikes and, perhaps most importantly, did not issue a walk.
That combination has long been the story with Susana: enormous velocity, plus the ongoing challenge of harnessing it. He is one of only three ranked prospects with a pair of 70-grade-or-better pitches, a reflection of just how explosive his arsenal can be when everything is clicking.
Originally signed by the Padres for $1.7 million in January 2022, Susana later came to Washington in the Juan Soto trade. Since then, he’s flashed top-shelf stuff while working to cut down on the free passes. He piled up 157 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings across two Class A levels in 2024, then moved up to Double-A Harrisburg early in 2025 before a Grade 1 UCL sprain sent him to the injured list for more than two months.
His last two weeks in Wilmington have been rehab assignments, designed to help him sharpen the arsenal before he returns to the upper minors. After clearing every step at the club’s complex in Florida this summer, Susana’s first few games back in an affiliate uniform suggest the stuff is not only back - it’s still reaching elite territory.
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