Nationals Just Promoted Tons of Their Notable Minor League Pitchers
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Late on Aug. 25, it was reported that the Washington Nationals are getting set to promote right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales for his major league debut.
That is a huge bit of news, as a player who appears to be a potential piece of the long-term puzzle has now arrived in The Show. He's set to be used out of the bullpen to start his MLB career, with the goal being to use the final month of this season as a way to get him experience in the bigs.
However, Perales' upward trajectory isn't the only one that has taken place for Nationals prospects. The team's Double-A affiliate -- the Harrisburg Senators -- just announced a ton of roster moves that featured the promotions of other notable pitchers, which is a great sign for the health of this organization going forward.
Jarlin Susana Gets Sent to Double-A After Completing Rehab Assignment
The first thing that stood out was Jarlin Susana being returned to Harrisburg after he completed his rehab assignment with High-A Wilmington.
Susana, who is ranked No. 3 in Washington's pipeline and No. 68 overall, missed the majority of the season because he underwent lat surgery last year. But following a recovery process that included some eye-popping reports about what he was doing in bullpen sessions, the flamethrowing right-hander made his way back to the mound with Wilmington and reminded everyone why his ceiling is considered to be so high.
Across his three starts with the Blue Rocks, he allowed four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched. He also struck out 13 batters with just three walks, and during his final outing on his rehab assignment, he rung up seven with zero walks while allowing just a single hit across two innings.
The Nationals will likely continue to ease Susana back into things for the rest of the season. But having him pitch against Double-A competition again -- which is where he was last year -- should have him on track to make his MLB debut at some point in 2027.
Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, Isaac Lyon All Get Promoted to Triple-A
As great as it is to see Susana back performing at a high level, perhaps the most encouraging news was the fact that Jack Cebert, Ben Grable and Isaac Lyon have all been promoted to Triple-A Rochester after their respective stints with Double-A Harrisburg.
For those wondering why this is so impactful, all three of those players were acquired via a trade by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, as the duo of Cebert and Grable were part of the Luis Garcia Jr. return package from the New York Yankees, and Lyon was part of the Jose A. Ferrer deal from this past winter that also netted the Nationals star catching prospect Harry Ford.
Cebert, who is ranked No. 14 in Washington's farm system, had three solid starts for Harrisburg where he allowed just three earned runs on five hits across 10 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts to seven walks. He possesses some big-time stuff, so getting him up to Rochester to sharpen his arsenal is a huge step in the right direction for his development.
Grable, who ranks No. 21 in the team's pipeline, was dominant coming out of the bullpen for Harrisburg. Across seven appearances, he allowed just one earned run on five hits in seven innings. He also struck out 14 batters and issued four walks.
Lyon was almost an afterthought when the Nationals landed Ford in that trade. But he's proving to be an interesting part of the puzzle in his own right based on what he's done this season. The 22-year-old began this campaign with Single-A Fredericksburg before he was sent to High-A after three starts. With Wilmington, he was lights out with a 1.33 ERA across six starts with 22 strikeouts to nine walks over 20 1/3 innings pitched. That earned him a bump to Harrisburg, where he made 15 appearances (12 starts) and put up an ERA of 3.79 across 73 2/3 innings with 64 K's and 18 walks.
Despite not being ranked in Washington's top 30 prospects list, Lyon seems to be carving out a place for himself within the organization. And by finishing the season in Triple-A, he could be on the verge of making his major league debut at some point in 2027 if everything goes well.
Eriq Swan Gets Promoted to Double-A
Finally, the other bit of news Harrisburg announced was the fact that they are getting right-handed pitcher Eriq Swan back after he was on his own rehab assignment with High-A Wilmington.
Swan, who is no longer considered a top 30 prospect in the Nationals' pipeline, started this season at the Double-A ranks before an injury sidelined him from April 14-June 6. And since June 12, he's been with Wilmington in a rehab capacity, where made 10 appearances (four starts) and posted a 5.71 ERA.
The 24-year-old will try to get his career going with Harrisburg now that he's returned to that level. Originally acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Alex Call trade ahead of the 2025 deadline, Swan hasn't broken through with a dominant showing in the minors just yet.
But now that he's healthy, the hope is that will come to finish this season.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai