The Nationals announced that they have claimed right-hander Jhancarlos Lara from the Braves and optioned him to Double-A Harrisburg. In a corresponding move, the Nats designated righty Julian Fernandez for assignment.
When the Braves selected Lara’s contract last September, Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs each ranked him among the team’s 25 best prospects. There were questions about his command then, however, and he hasn’t done anything to ease those concerns at the Double-A level this year. The 23-year-old posted an 8.22 ERA with a whopping 29 walks (against 21 strikeouts) in 15 1/3 innings before the Braves cut the cord. Lara endured similar struggles in 2025, during which he combined for a 7.73 ERA with 13.6 K/9 and 8.5 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings divided between Double-A and Triple-A. Nevertheless, the Nationals will take a flier on a hard thrower who has three minor league options remaining.
The Nationals are less than a year removed from claiming Fernandez from the Dodgers last August. Now 30 years old, Fernandez joined the Rockies in 2012 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. He later had stints with the Giants and Marlins, but he didn’t make it to the majors with either team. Fernandez finally debuted in the bigs during a return to Colorado in 2021, but he struggled to a 10.80 ERA over 6 2/3 innings that year. He didn’t pitch in the majors from 2022-24, which included a stint in the Mexican League, but combined for four appearances with the Dodgers and Nationals last season. He made three more appearances with the Nats this year before they designated him. In all, Fernandez carries a 6.98 ERA with 12 walks and eight strikeouts in 15 2/3 frames at the game’s highest level. He owns a 5.14 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 145 1/3 Triple-A frames.
Fernandez will have an answer on his future within a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, giving Washington up to five days to find a trade partner. As someone who has been outrighted in the past, Fernandez has the ability to reject an assignment and opt for free agency.
