Jarlin Susana has given the Nationals something they don’t have a lot of: a young arm that can light up a radar gun and make hitters look overmatched in a hurry. The 22-year-old right-hander has piled up strikeouts in the minors with a triple-digits fastball and a sharp slider, and his production has been impossible to ignore.
In 73 career outings, including 72 starts, Susana has thrown 279 2/3 innings and struck out 403 batters. That kind of dominance has pushed him into baseball’s top 100 prospect conversation and placed him at No. 3 in Washington’s own farm system rankings.
Still, the questions around Susana are not about whether the stuff plays. They’re about how long his body and delivery can hold up as a starter.
He has already dealt with a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow, and this season he missed almost all of it after undergoing lat surgery. Those injuries, paired with the way he throws, have led some to believe his future may be in the bullpen.
Keith Law is among those who see that path. After evaluating Susana in person, he wrote for The Athletic (subscription required), "He still has no third pitch at all, and the delivery still puts a lot of stress on the shoulder, both of which point to a more likely future in the bullpen. The stuff is wow, and he could just miss enough bats to stick around as a twice-through-the-order starter even with fringy command and nothing for lefties."
The Nationals, at least publicly, have not shown any sign they’re ready to move him out of the rotation picture. But there is a limit to how far he has been stretched so far. The longest outing of his minor league career has been five innings, and he has reached that mark only five times since the 2024 season ended.
For Washington, the appeal is obvious. Susana has one of the most electric arms in the sport, and that alone should get him to the majors before long.
The bigger question is what role best protects that arm and gives him the best chance to stay on the mound. If the stress created by his delivery continues to be a concern, a starter-to-reliever discussion may eventually become unavoidable.
For now, though, the Nationals are simply glad to have him back pitching and dominating again after the long absence caused by his lat surgery.
In Other News...
Nationals Farm System Suddenly Has A Health And Depth Story To Watch
The Nationals farm system had a little bit of everything in one night, from a rough outing in Harrisburg to a clean win in Wilmington and another productive offensive showing in Fredericksburg. Harrisburg fell 7-3 to Altoona after Josh Randall ran into trouble on the mound, while Wilmington handled Hudson Valley 5-0 behind a strong pitching effort that had the game moving along like a showcase for organizational depth.
Wilmington also had a more noteworthy development attached to the box score, since the clubs pitching mix may be getting thinner in the short term. Josiah Gray was transferred to MLB rehab from Wilmington, which puts even more attention on how the Nationals manage the arms moving through the system while the upper levels try to stay steady and the lower levels keep producing. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Face A Tough Call With Their Top Prospect
The Nationals gave their September roster a small jolt by bringing up rookies Yohandy Morales and Jared Simpson, but the move also drew attention to the player who stayed put. Seaver King, Washingtons top prospect, was not part of the call-up group, even as the organization continues to monitor his development and weigh when the right time might be to give him his first major league shot.
Paul Toboni suggested King is nearing that point, but the timing remains murky as the club balances readiness with broader roster considerations. There is also the added wrinkle of the looming MLB lockout, which could shape how Washington handles Kings path and whether the Nationals want to start his service-time clock before the end of 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals May Finally Have A Few Bullpen Answers For 2027
Washingtons bullpen picture has been murky enough in recent years that even modest signs of stability matter, and there are now a few relievers worth circling for 2027. The group under the microscope features Orlando Ribalta, Brad Lord and Will Dion, each offering a different kind of usefulness if the Nationals are still sorting out the late innings and the middle stretches by then.
Ribalta has the look of a dependable arm for the most important outs, backed by strong pitching metrics and the kind of poise teams want when the game tightens. Lord and Dion, meanwhile, stand out as multi-inning bridge options, with Lords fastballs and both pitchers recent effectiveness giving Washington something it has lacked too often: the possibility of building a bullpen with defined roles instead of constant improvisation. [Read more 🡒]