The Washington Nationals made a bullpen move on Tuesday that says as much about persistence as it does about performance.
Left-hander Erik Tolman has been selected for his MLB debut, with the club bringing him into the bullpen earlier this week and giving him a chance to wait for the right opening. To make room, Washington optioned right-hander Yovanny Cruz to AAA Rochester.
Tolman is no ordinary call-up. The Nationals took him in the 14th round in 2021 out of Arizona State University, and his road to this point has been brutal.
He has gone through Tommy John Surgery multiple times, and he also endured a devastating lower-body injury that included tears to his ACL, PCL and LCL, along with a hamstring tearing off the bone. That injury led to nerve damage in his right foot.
As Tolman has explained, the procedure changed his life. He still has trouble feeling the top of his foot, and he had to teach himself how to walk again. It’s the kind of story that would have knocked almost anyone off course, but he kept going.
He’s now on the doorstep of the majors with the same organization that drafted him while he was dealing with his first Tommy John operation in his final year at Arizona State.
The production has been uneven, but there’s enough there for Washington to take the shot. In 2025, Tolman posted a 3.67 ERA and 1.254 WHIP over 95.2 innings while moving from Low-A to AA. This season has been tougher in AAA Rochester, where he has a 5.23 ERA and 1.613 WHIP in 31.0 innings.
Still, the strikeout totals stand out: 42 punchouts in those 31.0 innings. That’s clearly part of what the current front office sees when it looks at Tolman. The Nationals believe there may be more in there for their bullpen.
Tolman has been with the team in Texas during the series, though he has not appeared yet. Whether the debut comes tonight or not, the moment is finally here for a pitcher who kept pushing through every setback.
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