The Washington Nationals are hoping to snap back into the groove of things. After a dismal road trip that saw the Nationals drop every single game they played and adding insult to injury by setting the all-time major league record for blown saves, they have responded by winning both games of their weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels so far.
They did so in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, winning in walk-off fashion in extra innings as Harry Ford hit a walk-off grounder to Zack Neto that he was unable to handle cleanly. For the Nationals it was a big deal, as they will have a chance to hit the 70 win mark if they can complete the series sweep on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the organization, the team has continued to try to take meaningful shots to add depth at multiple levels. One of those shots just came in via a waiver claim, and it might be a little bit more intriguing than most blind dart throws on the waiver wire.
Nationals claim former Top 100 prospect off waivers from Yankees
On Saturday, the Nationals went out and claimed righty Chase Hampton off waivers from the New York Yankees. The newly turned 25-year-old comes into the Nationals organization as a very intriguing dart throw as he was once a Top 100 prospect in all of baseball heading into the 2024 season.
Since then, his status as a prospect has dropped off quite a bit as he has yet to make it past Double-A despite being a pro for a few years still. His 2026 season has been a pretty brutal one, and is the reason why the Yankees were willing to move on from him. Across multiple levels, Hampton owns an 8.18 ERA and 1.782 WHIP, and also is 0-6 in 17 starts...yikes.
Nonetheless, given his former prospect pedigree, clearly Paul Toboni and the Nationals front office sees something in him that they can maximize, and if they can salvage a guy who has stats as bad as the ones he has currently, it might be one of their best reclamation projects yet. After being claimed, Hampton was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg, where he will be for the forseeable future.
He shouldn't be counted on for any major contributions in the near future, but he is still a very interesting dart throw to add to the team's farm system
What do you think of the Nationals claiming Chase Hampton off waivers from the Yankees? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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