Highly Rated Nationals Prospect Returns From IL Looking to Make Major Impact

The Washington Nationals will have one of their key prospects returning from injury after making multiple rehab starts recently.

Jun 25, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher Jake Bennett (54) throws agains the Ole Miss Rebels at Charles Schwab Field. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have a pretty impressive pipeline of players throughout their farm system, and despite having called up plenty of them in recent years to supplement their MLB roster, there are a decent number of quality prospects remaining. One of the strengths throughout the system is their pitching staff, especially when it comes to developmental players who have the raw talent to make a big impact.

One such player is Jake Bennet, the No. 17 prospect in the Nationals' system, and a second-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft. He unfortunately suffered an elbow injury early in his professional career and would miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair it.

The good news is that he is ready to make his return, as after one rehab assignment, he has been reinstated from the injured list, and will end up on the High-A Wilmington roster, as was reported by Bobby Blanco of MASN.

This is a huge positive for Washington, as Bennett has displayed some really impressive talent in the time he has played for the franchise. In 2023 across two levels, he put up a 3.14 ERA, 1.206 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts to 16 walks across 63 innings of work. In his one rehab assignment this season with Single-A Fredericksburg, he pitched six innings, allowing only five hits and one earned run, while picking up seven strikeouts with no walks allowed.

Bringing one of the top prospects in the system back into the fold is always a good thing, especially after a lengthy recovery. Seeing him throw as well as he did in his rehab assignment provides hope that he can return to form without too many issues this season.