The Nationals reassigned Susana to minor-league camp Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Susana is the most notable among the seven the Nats cut from big-league camp. The big right-hander has yet to advance past A-ball, so he wasn't under real consideration for the Opening Day roster, but Susana is among the club's top prospects following a 2024 campaign which featured 157 strikeouts over 103.2 frames. Susana finished last season at High-A Wilmington and could either return there to start 2025 or get bumped up to Double-A Harrisburg.
Susana topped out at 103 mph with his fastball during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports, but the right-hander threw only 20 of 34 pitches for strikes as he gave up a hit and two walks over a scoreless sixth inning. He struck out two.
One of the Nationals' top pitching prospects, Susana has yet to pitch above High-A as he continues to be developed as a starter. He'll turn 21 just before Opening Day, and his 157:48 K:BB over 103.2 innings between Single-A and High-A last season highlights both his tremendous upside and the amount of work he still needs to do to get his control and command to a level that will allow him to stick in the rotation.
Susana hit 100 mph with his fastball in his first bullpen session of the spring and looked dominant during a live batting practice session Wednesday as he worked in his slider, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The 20-year-old right-hander will continue to be developed as a starter in the minors, but Susana could likely make an immediate impact in the majors if he got fast-tracked as a reliever. Improving his command and refining his changeup will be Susana's main goals in 2025 after he posted a 4.34 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and eye-popping 157:48 K:BB through 103.2 innings last season split between Single-A and High-A.
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Nationals' Jarlin Susana: Dominant finish at High-A
Rotowire
Susana logged a 2.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 27 strikeouts in 15 innings over his final three starts for High-A Wilmington.
The big righty had a pair of 10-strikeout performances to put a bow on his age-20 campaign. His fielding-independent stats paint a better picture (FIP and xFIP below 3.00 at Single-A and High-A) than his 4.34 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 103.2 innings across the two levels. Susana's 35.4 percent strikeout rate ranked fourth in the minors among pitchers who threw 100-plus innings this season.
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Nationals' Jarlin Susana: Dazzles versus big-leaguers Tuesday
Rotowire
Susana struck out two in a perfect eighth inning during Tuesday's exhibition game between the Nationals and the organization's top prospects.
Just a few days after his 20th birthday, Susana nearly produced an immaculate inning against big-league hitters, but after Joey Gallo and Riley Adams struck out on six pitches, Jacob Young was able to weakly ground out. Per Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports, Susana topped out at 102.4 mph with his fastball and sat around 101 mph while also working in his potentially plus slider. Part of the package the Nats received for Juan Soto from the Padres, Susana made 16 starts at Single-A Fredericksburg last season and posted a disappointing 5.55 ERA and 56:38 K:BB over 58.1 innings. Washington isn't going to give up on him working out as a starting pitcher quite yet, but if he were to shift to a relief role, the young flamethrower could climb the ladder very quickly.
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Nationals' Jarlin Susana: Holding his own at Single-A
Rotowire
Susana has a 3.81 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 52:30 K:BB in 49.2 innings through 13 starts for Single-A Fredericksburg.
The 6-foot-6 righty is one of the youngest pitchers in full-season ball, so he should be graded on a bit of a curve. Susana obviously needs to work on cutting his 14 percent walk rate, but he has been more consistent lately. The 19-year-old hurler has logged between four and five innings in eight straight starts while posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 30:14 K:BB in 33.1 innings over that stretch.
