The Washington Nationals might be sputtering and playing pretty awfully at the major league level as of recently, but that does not mean that things aren't still looking upwards for the organization as a whole. With a wave of top prospects set to come up within the next year or so, the team should be in a much better space to compete with a couple more external additions to the roster.
We are slowly seeing youngsters and top prospects like Jackson Kent and hopefully Seaver King soon come up to the big leagues to help the team win games now, with several more big names in the pipeline. Guys like Eli Willits, Travis Sykora, and even 2026 1st-rounder Chris Hacopian will all be counted on to contribute within the next couple years, but what about another huge piece of the future?
Top 100 prospect Jarlin Susana flashing elite upside after lat surgery
Perhaps one of the bigger developments of the season for the Nationals on the farm system has been the return and recovery of one of their top pitching prospects. Last year, we saw righty Jarlin Susana fly up prospect rankings across every publication after flashing major upside as he progressed through multiple levels of the Nationals' system.
After undergoing right lat surgery almost a year ago in September of last season, Susana managed to stay ranked within the Top 100 of all prospect ranking services due to his massive ceiling that he might be able to reach with health prevailing. Since coming back from surgery, Susana has continued to show those same flashes, which is a huge relief to Nationals fans.
JARLIN SUSANA IS BACK THROWING ⛽️
— Wilmington Blue Rocks (@WilmBlueRocks) August 22, 2026
2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 𝟕 𝐊, 0 BB 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Was up to 103 consistently pic.twitter.com/OwZWo7szRK
In 3 appearances with High-A Wilmington where he is rehabbing for now to build back up before likely heading back to AA Harrisburg, Susana has pitched 3 short times with only 6.1 innings pitched as the team is being cautious with his workload. However, in that short time, Susana has flashed with a 13:3 K:BB ratio, and most importantly has continued to hit high velocity numbers.
The 6'6" righty has had his fastball clocked as high as 103 MPH, showing that Susana is not showing many effects of the surgery he underwent last September. Needless to say, his continued growth and development along with fellow top pitching prospects like Travis Sykora, Miguel Sime Jr., and Landon Harmon, among others, will be essential to making sure the Nationals have an established starting rotation for years to come.
What are your realistic expectations for Jarlin Susana throughout the remainder of the season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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