Washington Nationals minor league players
Minor league players and teams affiliated with the Washington Nationals professional baseball organization include:
Players
Tyler Baum
Tyler Cole Baum is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Baum attended West [Orange High School (Florida)|West Orange High School] in Winter Garden, Florida. Going into the 2016 playoffs, he held a 7–0 record and a 2.07 ERA with 70 strikeouts. The team advanced to the final four, but fell in the state qualifying game to Marjory [Stoneman Douglas High School].
Baum went unselected in the 2016 [Major League Baseball draft], and he enrolled at the University of North Carolina where he played college baseball. In 2017, Baum's freshman season, he started 15 games and pitched 63 innings in which he went 7–0 with a 2.57 ERA. That summer, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and posted a 5–1 record on the mound. As a sophomore in 2018, he made 18 appearances, going 4–1 with a 4.57 ERA. He returned to play for Harwich after the season. In 2019, he appeared in 17 games, pitching to a 7–3 record and a 3.87 ERA. After the season, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.
Baum signed with Oakland for $900,000 and made his professional debut with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the Low-A New York–Penn League. Over 11 starts, he went 0–3 with a 4.70 ERA, striking out 34 batters over innings. Baum did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was added to Oakland's 60-man player pool and spent the summer training at their alternate site.
Baum missed the beginning of the 2021 season and did not make his season debut until mid-August with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Athletics with whom he gave up 17 earned runs and twenty walks over innings. He was assigned to the Stockton Ports of the Single-A California League to open the 2022 season, but was reassigned to the Arizona Complex League. He continued to struggle with control, going 1–1 with a 17.00 ERA, 47 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 27 innings between both teams. Baum split the 2023 season between the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Midwest League and the Midland RockHounds of the Double-A Texas League, appearing in 39 games and going 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 25 walks over innings.
In 2025, Baum made 36 appearances split between the ACL Athletics, Midland, and Las Vegas, accumulating a 1-4 record and 5.50 ERA with 45 strikeouts and one save over 36 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025.
On November 26, 2025, Baum signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.
Riley Cornelio
Riley John Thomas Cornelio is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.Cornelio attended Pine Creek High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he played baseball. In 2018, he played for the United States national under-18 [baseball team] at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships. In 2019, as a senior, he went 7-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 49 innings, and was named the Colorado Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. Cornelio went unselected in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at Texas Christian University where he played college baseball for the Horned Frogs baseball|Horned Frogs]. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Northwoods League with the St. Cloud Rox, and set a Rox single-game record with 14 strikeouts. As a redshirt sophomore for the Horned Frogs in 2022, he was the team's number one starter, starting 15 games and going 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 75 innings.
Cornelio was selected by the Washington Nationals in the seventh round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. After signing, Cornelio made his professional debut in 2023 with the Fredericksburg Nationals, making 22 starts and going 4-8 with a 4.68 ERA. He pitched the 2024 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and went 9-11 with a 5.56 ERA over 26 starts. For the 2025 season, Cornelio played with Wilmington, the Harrisburg Senators, and the Rochester Red Wings, making 26 starts and going 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA and 135 strikeouts over innings. The Nationals named Cornelio their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. On November 18, the Nationals added Cornelio to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
*
Armando Cruz
Armando Junior Cruz is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Washington Nationals organization.Born and raised in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Repuyblic, Cruz emerged as a high-level baseball prospect by the time he was 14. He played in the 2018 14U Select Festival and a Perfect Game showcase the following year in Florida.
Cruz was linked to the Washington Nationals as early as 2019, before he was eligible to sign with a Major League Baseball team. The Nationals officially signed Cruz for a $3.9 million bonus on January 15, 2021, tying the franchise record for an international amateur free agent bonus, one day before Cruz's 17th birthday.
At the time Cruz turned pro, he was ranked as the fifth-best international amateur prospect by MLB Pipeline and the second-best by Baseball America. A contemporaneous Minor League Baseball news report described him as possibly the best defensive player available in the international signing period, as well as an above-average runner.
Christian Franklin
Christian Franklin is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.Franklin grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He batted.361 over his junior and senior seasons with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.
Franklin became the Razorbacks' starting left fielder as a freshman and was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team after batting.274 with 41 runs scored, 34 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. After the season, he played summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League. As a sophomore, Franklin batted.381 with four doubles, a triple, three home runs and RBI in 16 games before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Franklin was named a preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America and by the National College Baseball Writers Association going into his junior year. He was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 3, 2021, after driving in 10 runs in three games against LSU and was a second team All-SEC selection at the end of the regular season. In the opening game of the 2021 [NCAA Division I baseball tournament], Franklin had a run-saving catch followed by a home run to spark a come from behind win over NJIT.
Franklin was selected in the 4th round with the 123rd overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. He signed with the team on July 16, 2021, and received a $425,000 bonus. Franklin was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Cubs to begin his professional career, where he played four games before being promoted to the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Over 24 games between the two teams, he batted.237 with one home run and eight RBI.
On July 30, 2025, the Cubs traded Franklin and Ronny Cruz to the Nationals in exchange for pitcher Michael Soroka. He made 31 appearances for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, hitting.290/.382/.427 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and eight stolen bases. On November 18, the Nationals added Franklin to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
*
Phillip Glasser
Phillip James Glasser is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.Glasser attended Tallmadge High School in Tallmadge, Ohio where he played baseball. After graduating in 2018, he played three seasons of college baseball at Youngstown State University for the Penguins. After the 2021 season, he transferred to Indiana University where he played two seasons for the Indiana Hoosiers. As a redshirt senior for the Hoosiers in 2023, Glasser played in 63 games and hit.357 with seven home runs, 48 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. After the season, he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the tenth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $20,000.
Glasser made his professional debut after signing with the Florida Complex League Nationals and also played with the Fredericksburg Nationals, hitting.310 across 18 games. Glasser returned to Fredericksburg to open the 2024 season. He was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks and Harrisburg Senators during the season. Over 108 games between the three teams, Glasser batted.298 with eight home runs, 48 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He was assigned back to Harrisburg to open the 2025 season and promoted to the Rochester Red Wings in September. Glasser played in 124 games with both clubs and hit.302 with seven home runs, 49 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. The Nationals named him their Minor League Hitter of the Year.
*
*
Marquis Grissom Jr.
Marquis Deon Grissom is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Grissom Jr. attended Counterpane School in Fayetteville, Georgia and played college baseball at Georgia Tech. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.
Grissom Jr. spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals and Fredericksburg Nationals. He pitched 2023 with Fredericksburg and started 2024 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks before being promoted to the Harrisburg Senators.
His father, Marquis Grissom, played in Major League Baseball.
*
Sean Paul Liñan
Sean Paul Liñan is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Liñan signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in January 2022. He made his professional debut that year with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers.
Liñan pitched 2023 with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and 2024 with the ACL Dodgers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He started 2025 with Rancho Cucamonga and was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons in May. At the time of his promotion, he was leading the minor leagues in strikeouts.
On July 31, 2025, the Dodgers traded Liñan and Eriq Swan to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Alex Call.
Abimelec Ortiz
Abimelec Ortiz is a Puerto Rican professional baseball first baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.Ortiz attended Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Florida, Puerto Rico, where he hit.400 in his senior season. He attended Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida to play college baseball. Ortiz hit.349 with nine home runs, 47 RBI, and five stolen bases in his freshman season of 2021. Undrafted after that season, he signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers.
Ortiz was assigned to the DSL Rangers of the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League for his professional debut season of 2021 and hit.233/.419/.581 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and five stolen bases over 40 games. He spent the 2022 season with the Down East Wood Ducks of the Low-A Carolina League, hitting.226/.308/.380/.688 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI, and six stolen bases over 94 games. Ortiz returned to Kinston to open the 2023 season and hit.307/.392/.604 with seven home runs and 20 RBI over 20 games. He was promoted to the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A South Atlantic League on May 23. Over 80 games with Hickory, Ortiz hit.290/.363/.624 with 26 home runs and 81 RBI. He was named the Texas Rangers 2023 Tom Grieve Player of the Year. Following the 2023 season, Ortiz played for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.
Ortiz made 130 appearances split between the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders and Triple-A Round Rock Express in 2025, hitting a combined.257/.356/.479 with 25 home runs and 89 RBI. On November 18, 2025, Ortiz's contract was selected by Texas, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
On January 22, 2026, the Rangers traded Ortiz, Alejandro Rosario, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Yeremy Cabrera, and Gavin Fien to the Washington Nationals in exchange for starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
*
Luis Perales
Luis Alexis Perales is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.Perales signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent on July 2, 2019. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Perales made his professional debut for the Dominican Summer League Red Sox in 2021, and split 2022 between the rookie–level Florida Complex League Red Sox and Single–A Salem Red Sox. He split the 2023 campaign between Salem and the High-A Greenville Drive. Perales posted a cumulative 1.77 earned run average in innings pitched in 2022 and a 3.91 ERA in innings in 2023, primarily as a stating pitcher.
On November 14, 2023, the Red Sox added Perales to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He began the 2024 season with Greenville, ranked as the Red Sox' number nine minor-league prospect by Baseball America. In 9 starts split between Greenville and the Double–A Portland Sea Dogs, Perales compiled a 2–2 record and 2.94 ERA with 56 strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 18, 2024, it was announced that Perales would require Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
Perales was optioned to Double-A Portland to begin the 2025 season as he continued to recover from surgery.
The Nationals acquired Perales in a prospect-for-prospect swap with the Red Sox on December 15, 2025, with left-hander Jake Bennett going back the other way.
Andrew Pinckney
Andrew David Pinckney is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization.Pinckney attended McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia and played college baseball at the University of Alabama. In 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
Pinckney signed with the Nationals and spent his first professional season with the Florida Complex League Nationals, Fredericksburg Nationals, Wilmington Blue Rocks and Harrisburg Senators. He started 2024 with Harrisburg.
*
Holden Powell
Holden William Powell is an American professional baseball relief pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Powell played for the Bruins baseball|Bruins] at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as the team's primary closer in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he briefly played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted in the third round by the Nationals in the abbreviated 2020 draft and chose to sign with the team, appearing later that summer in instructional league in Florida.
Before the 2021 season, Powell ranked as the Nationals' 20th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He was assigned to High-A Wilmington, along with several other top Nationals prospects, to begin the season that May.
Powell employs a fastball and a slider as his main pitches. He uses a changeup and a curveball less frequently, relying on the slider as his primary "out pitch" while working up to with his fastball.
*
Alejandro Rosario
Alejandro Antonio Rosario is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Rosario attended Miami Christian School in Fontainebleau, Florida. Rosario produced a 13–3 record with a 1.67 ERA and 165 strikeouts over innings in his high school career. He helped pitch Miami Christian to the Class 2A-8 championship in 2019. Rosario was part of Team USA three times in high school. He was on the 2017 15U National Team, in the 2017 17U National Team Development Program, and on the 2019 18U National Team. He made three appearances in the 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, earning a silver medal.
Undrafted out of high school, he attended the University of Miami to play college baseball. He went 6–4 with a 5.21 ERA and 55 strikeouts over innings in 2021. In 2022, he went 2–3 with a 7.05 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 60 innings. Rosario played for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2022. He posted a 5–6 record with a 7.11 ERA and 91 strikeouts over innings in 2024. Rosario was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 5th round of the 2023 MLB draft.
Rosario did not appear in a professional game in 2023 after signing. Instead, he was focused on reworking his mechanics and repertoire for the upcoming season by Texas. He opened the 2024 season with the Down East Wood Ducks of the Low-A Carolina League, going 2–3 with a 2.11 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 47 innings. He was promoted at the end of June to the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A South Atlantic League.
Rosario continued to work through the minor leagues in 2024. On September 3, 2024, he earned a promotion to Double-A Frisco of the Double-A Texas League. In High-A, he continued to dominate hitters, posting a record of 2-2, and recording an ERA of 2.40 over eight games in a combined 41⅓ innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 60–8.
On February 23, 2025, it was announced that Rosario was likely to miss the entirety of the 2025 season due to an elbow injury that necessitated surgery. Rosario did not undergo surgery during 2025, reportedly due to an unrelated medical issue.
Rosario was traded to the Washington Nationals in a six-player deal that brought MacKenzie Gore to Texas on January 22, 2026. After acquiring Rosario, Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni disclosed that Rosario would undergo Tommy John surgery.
*
Tyler Stuart
Tyler Matthew Stuart is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Stuart attended Herscher High School in Herscher, Illinois, where he played baseball, basketball and football. As a senior in 2018, he went 10–1 with a 1.06 ERA and 117 strikeouts alongside a.466 batting average. He was not selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi where he played college baseball.
Stuart did not appear in any games for Southern Mississippi in 2019 or 2020. He made his collegiate debut in 2021, pitching to a 7.16 ERA over innings. In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League, throwing six scoreless innings. For the 2022 season, Stuart appeared in 22 games and went 4–0 with a 3.38 ERA over forty innings. After the season, he was selected by the New York Mets in the sixth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.
Stuart signed with the Mets and made his professional debut in 2022 with the Florida Complex League Mets and St. Lucie Mets, pitching innings between the two teams. He opened the 2023 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones and was promoted to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in mid-July. Over 21 starts between the two teams, Stuart went 7-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 112 strikeouts over innings. He was assigned to Binghamton to open the 2024 season.
On July 28, 2024, the Mets traded Stuart to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Jesse Winker. He was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators and promoted to the Rochester Red Wings near the season's end. Over 25 starts between the three teams for the season, Stuart went 4-8 with a 4.12 ERA and 135 strikeouts over innings. Stuart opened the 2025 season on the injured list with an elbow injury before returning for a rehab assignment in June. For the 2025 season, he made ten appearances between the Florida Complex League Nationals, the Wilmington Blue Rocks, and Harrisburg, going 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA over innings. In July, he was placed back on the injured list, and shortly after underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
*
Jarlín Susana
Jarlín Joel Susana is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.Susana signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent on January 15, 2022. He made his professional debut that year with the Arizona Complex League Padres.
On August 2, 2022, Susana, along with MacKenzie Gore, Luke Voit, Robert Hassell, James Wood, and C. J. Abrams were traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto and Josh Bell. He started his Nationals career with the Florida Complex League Nationals and was promoted to the Fredericksburg Nationals after two starts.
On May 11, 2025, Susana was diagnosed with a Grade 1 ulnar [collateral ligament of elbow joint|UCL] sprain. Upon returning, he made 14 starts for the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks and Double-A Harrisburg Senators; in those games, he compiled a 1-4 record and 3.51 ERA with 95 strikeouts across innings pitched. On September 15, it was announced that Susana would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing lat surgery.
Eriq Swan
Eriq Stanford Swan is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.A native of Marietta, Georgia, Swan played college baseball at Middle Tennessee State University. In 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Swan was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB draft. He made his professional debut the following season with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers before a quick promotion to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and he had a 5.16 ERA in 10 games between the two levels. In 2025 with the Great Lakes Loons he had a 4–3 record and 4.43 ERA in 16 games while striking out 77 batters.
On July 31, 2025, the Dodgers traded Swan and Sean Paul Liñan to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Alex Call.