The Nationals announced the move selecting Erik Tolman's contract to the active roster, adding a fresh arm to the bullpen mix down the stretch.
This isn't just a routine roster shuffle. Tolman, 27, was a 14th-round pick by Washington back in 2021, and his path to this moment has been about as rough as it gets for a pitching prospect. He'd already had Tommy John surgery at Arizona State, then tore his UCL again after signing. Then in 2023, his foot got caught in the turf mid-game and he suffered what's been described as a torn ACL, PCL, LCL, and a hamstring torn off the bone, plus nerve damage that left him temporarily paralyzed.
He missed the entire 2024 season rehabbing from that mess. Getting back on a mound at all was the win. Getting the call to Washington is the part nobody would've bet on.
The numbers this year at Triple-A were shaky on paper — a 5.23 ERA across 32 appearances, with a walk rate north of 16% that reflects how much competitive innings he'd missed. But the strikeout rate crept up near 30%, and clearly the Nationals liked what they saw enough to give him a shot. Right-hander Yovanny Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester to clear the 40-man spot.
For a Nationals club playing out the string, this is the kind of move that matters more than the standings. Tolman gets his first taste of the big leagues after a four-year odyssey that included multiple surgeries and a lost season. Whatever role he settles into out of the pen, just watching him take the mound in a major league uniform is the story here.