The Nationals are sending Jarlin Susana to the Arizona Fall League, and that alone makes their fall crop worth watching. After an extended absence because of lat surgery, the hard-throwing right-hander is back on the mound and headed to the desert for another important round of innings.
That decision comes after a sharp return. Since coming back on Aug.
11, Susana has piled up 34 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings across seven combined starts with High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg. His 5.09 ERA isn’t pretty on the surface, but the stuff is what matters here: the fastball is still living in triple digits, and the slider remains a wipeout pitch.
The Nationals also reportedly moved him up to Triple-A Rochester to finish the season, a strong indicator that his path to the majors could keep moving next year depending on how the winter and spring go.
MLB Pipeline’s AFL rosters also put Susana in sharp perspective. He is the No. 67 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s list and the eighth-best prospect in the event, trailing Eduardo Quintero (No.
19 - Los Angeles Dodgers), Zyhir Hope (No. 27 - Detroit Tigers), Caleb Bonemer (No.
29 - Chicago White Sox), Arjun Nimmala (No. 37 - Los Angeles Angels), Bryce Rainer (No.
47 - Tigers), Tate Southisene (No. 59 - Atlanta Braves) and Nathan Flewelling (No.
64 - Tampa Bay Rays). In all, 12 top-100 prospects are set to play in the AFL this year.
Washington’s group will play for the Salt River Rafters alongside prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. Susana is the headliner, but he won’t be the only Nationals prospect headed out there. The organization is sending five more players, none of whom rank among its top 30 prospects, which gives each of them a real chance to change how the club views them.
The other five are outfielder Teo Banks, left-handers Noah Dean and Nolan Hughes, OF/INF Jorgelys Mota and right-hander R.J. Sales.
Banks, a 2024 18th-round pick out of Tulane, has put together a decent season with High-A Wilmington, hitting .251/.333/.375 in 92 games. The issue is the lack of impact: just six home runs and 21 extra-base hits. He’s also spent time on the developmental list twice already, so this is a meaningful fall assignment for his standing in the organization.
Dean is a familiar name for Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 while with the Boston Red Sox. That hasn’t translated into much success on the field.
The Red Sox released Dean before this season, Washington picked him up, and he struggled to a 9.00 ERA in 10 appearances, including two starts, with Double-A Harrisburg before landing on the injured list and later the 60-day designation on Sept. 8.
Hughes had a brief but eye-catching start to the year. In four appearances, including two starts, he posted a 2.57 ERA and struck out 17 batters in seven innings.
He also walked 10, but the strikeout total and a .087 batting average against stood out. That was all he got, though, because he went on the injured list on May 7 and never made it back.
Mota has dealt with injuries as well and was limited to 36 games this season. At 21, he still has plenty of development ahead of him, and the AFL will give him a chance to bank some valuable reps before next year.
Sales is another arm trying to reset his trajectory. Acquired from Detroit in 2025 in the Kyle Finnegan deal, the 23-year-old missed most of the season with an arm injury.
He returned on Aug. 9 and made five appearances, four of them starts, between Single-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington, logging a 4.61 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 13 2/3 innings. The AFL now gives him another chance to build on that finish.
In Other News...
Nationals Are Getting Closer To The Juan Soto Trade Payoff
The Nationals are heading into a two-game set against the Phillies with Jackson Kent and Cade Cavalli lined up to start, but the more interesting development for the organization may be happening a level below. Jarlin Susana has been promoted to Triple-A Rochester after a strong run in the minors this season, a move that puts one of Washingtons top young arms within striking distance of the big leagues.
Susana, ranked as the third-best prospect in the system, has emerged as one of the key pieces in the clubs long rebuild. His rise only adds to the sense that the organization is finally getting closer to seeing some return from the Juan Soto deal, even if the final step still has to come before anyone can say the payoff has fully arrived. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Still Have One Meaningful Fight Left Against The Mets
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The Mets remain right there in the standings, which keeps the September calendar from feeling like pure formality. Washington has a chance to close the season with some momentum and improve on recent years by locking up fourth place, and the matchup ahead should give this team one more chance to define its finish on its own terms. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Momentum Gets A Real Test Against A Phillies Team Under Pressure
The sweep of the Angels gave Washington a welcome lift late in the 2026 season, and now the Nationals get a much better read on where that momentum really stands. Philadelphia arrives with more on the line, clinging to a slim edge in a crowded National League wild card race, so this series carries a different kind of weight than the one Washington just finished.
Jackson Kent is set to open the matchup against Cristopher Sanchez, a test that immediately asks whether the Nationals recent surge can travel against a contender playing under pressure. The pitching only gets more intriguing from there, with Cade Cavalli lined up to oppose Zack Wheeler in a game that should tell plenty about how far Washington still has to go and whether Philadelphia can steady itself before the race tightens further. [Read more 🡒]