Washington Nationals Part Ways With Former Top Prospect

The Washington Nationals designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment on Saturday, ending a stay in the organization that lasted barely two weeks and never produced a pitch in a Nationals uniform, via the MLB transaction log.

The move, paired with the option of right-hander Luis Perales to Triple-A Rochester, opened a 40-man roster spot for left-hander Connelly Early, who was activated from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday against the New York Mets. Hampton had been claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Sept. 12 and immediately optioned to Double-A Harrisburg.

He never appeared for the Senators.

That brief Washington chapter is the latest turn in a career that once looked like a fast track to the majors. The Yankees selected Hampton, now 25, in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Texas Tech.

In 2023, he broke out across High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset, posting a 3.63 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings.

Heading into 2024 he cracked multiple top-100 prospect lists, including Baseball Prospectus (No. 56), Baseball America (No. 72) and MLB Pipeline (No. 92), and ranked as high as No. 4 in New York’s system.

Injuries then took over. A flexor strain limited him to 18 2/3 minor-league innings in 2024. Tommy John surgery in February 2025 wiped out the entire following season.

The Yankees still protected him from the Rule 5 draft that November, but the 2026 return was rough.

Across three levels in New York’s system, he put up an 8.18 ERA in 55 innings, allowing 13 home runs with a 12.9 percent walk rate and a 21.3 percent strikeout rate.

At Double-A Somerset alone, he was 0-5 with a 9.59 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. The Yankees designated him for assignment on Sept. 7 to activate Aaron Judge.

Washington took the flier anyway, hoping a former top-100 arm still had something left. Fourteen days later, roster math won out. Because Hampton has never been outrighted, the Nationals would keep him if he clears waivers.

More likely, the 25-year-old will become a minor-league free agent and look for another club willing to bet that the stuff that once made him a prospect can survive the long recovery from Tommy John.

For the Nationals, the transaction is housekeeping.

For Hampton, it is another reminder of how quickly prospect status can fade when the innings stop adding up.