Nationals claim Chase Hampton off Yankees' waivers, option him to Double-A

What happened

The Nationals announced three roster moves, headlined by the waiver claim of right-hander Chase Hampton from the Yankees, who will be optioned to Double-A. To open the 40-man spot required for the claim, Washington transferred right-hander Matt Waldron from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL — a move that, per the club announcement, ends Waldron's 2026 season. Separately, the Nationals also announced the activation of left-hander Richard Lovelady from the 60-day IL.

The Yankees had designated Hampton for assignment earlier this week, per Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors, and the claim brings a former top-100 prospect into Washington's system.

Why it matters

Hampton was regarded as one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in baseball heading into the 2024 season, per MLB Trade Rumors, before a stretch of injuries — including Tommy John surgery — kept him off the field for nearly two full seasons. He returned from his TJ rehab this past May, which means the Nationals are essentially betting that a 25-year-old with a legitimate pedigree and a full slate of minor league options is worth a look at no real cost.

That calculus is straightforward for a rebuilding club. Hampton has never been added to a 40-man roster, meaning he carries a full complement of options — a valuable commodity when a team is cycling through pitching depth and needs roster flexibility. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Washington is actively looking to accumulate as much pitching as possible, and a former top-100 arm who just turned 25 last month fits that profile even if the recent numbers require some squinting.

The Yankees, for their part, made the call that Hampton no longer warranted a 40-man spot once Aaron Judge was activated from the 60-day injured list last Monday, per MLB Trade Rumors. That context matters: Hampton wasn't released into a vacuum — he was displaced by one of the game's marquee players returning from injury, which says less about Hampton's ceiling than it does about the arithmetic of a contending team's roster construction.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, while Hampton could potentially be a DFA candidate again depending on Washington's roster needs, there is no risk for the Nationals in taking a flier to see whether he could be a late bloomer. That framing — low cost, high optionality, former pedigree — is the operational logic behind the move in full.

The numbers

Hampton's return from Tommy John surgery has been rocky. Over 55 innings across three levels of the Yankees' farm system, he posted an 8.18 ERA, a 21.3% strikeout rate, and a 12.9% walk rate, per MLB Trade Rumors. The home run problem was particularly acute: he allowed 13 homers in those 55 frames, a combination that made the 40-man calculus uncomfortable for New York.

The strikeout rate isn't alarming on its own for a pitcher working back from major arm surgery, but the walk rate and the home run rate together create a profile that requires patience — something a contending team's roster construction doesn't always afford. Washington, sitting at 69-81 (.460) and eliminated from the division race, is in a position to offer exactly that.

Waldron, meanwhile, finishes 2026 with a 6.54 ERA over 42 2/3 innings split among the Padres, Blue Jays, and Nationals, per MLB Trade Rumors. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances after Washington claimed him off the Blue Jays' waiver wire just a few weeks ago, before chest inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL on September 5. The knuckleballer is out of minor league options and has now changed teams twice via waiver claims after being designated for assignment, per the report — a particular kind of itinerant résumé that the September waiver wire tends to produce.

Lovelady, now back on the active roster, carries a 3.91 ERA, an 18.4% strikeout rate, and a 14.9% walk rate over 23 innings since Washington acquired him in a cash deal with the Mets in April, per MLB Trade Rumors. A left triceps strain has kept him sidelined since late June.

Where the club stands

Washington enters Sunday at 69-81, sitting fifth in the NL East, 19.5 games back in the division, and 12.0 games relative to the Wild Card cut line — ranked 10th in that race. The Nationals are riding a two-game winning streak and host the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, with Riley Cornelio listed as the probable starter against Grayson Rodriguez. The Phillies then come to Nationals Park for a pair of games Tuesday and Wednesday, with Jackson Kent and Cade Cavalli lined up as Washington's probable starters.

The bullpen context here is hard to ignore. A few days removed from setting an MLB record with their 38th blown save of the season — a mark that also dropped them to last place in the NL East, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting — the Nationals have been working through a relief corps under considerable strain. Orlando Ribalta was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to September 4 with right forearm inflammation, per reporting from earlier this week, further thinning a group that was already historically leaky. Lovelady's return from the 60-day IL adds a left-handed arm back into that mix, which the club clearly needs.

The broader roster picture has been eventful. A week removed from Max Kranick clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Rochester, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting, Washington continues to reshape its depth. Drew Millas is also on the 60-day IL and scheduled for a second left index finger surgery of the 2026 season, per prior reporting, meaning the Nationals have been managing a significant volume of roster churn as the season winds down.

What we don't know yet

Per MLB Trade Rumors, Hampton could potentially be a DFA candidate again depending on Washington's roster needs, so his tenure on the 40-man is not guaranteed beyond the current season. What the Nationals do with him over the offseason — whether they retain him, expose him, or find another path — remains open.

Waldron's situation is similarly unresolved. Out of minor league options and having now changed teams twice via waiver claims after being designated for assignment, per the report, his next destination is an open question.

Lovelady's workload coming off a left triceps strain will also bear watching. The activation is per the club announcement, but how quickly he is deployed and in what situations is not addressed in the report.

What to watch

Hampton's development at Double-A is the long-range item here. The underlying question for Washington's staff is whether the command and home run issues are artifacts of a pitcher still finding his footing after Tommy John surgery, or something more structural. Per MLB Trade Rumors, the Nationals view him as a potential late bloomer, and with a full slate of options and no 40-man clock pressure, they have the runway to find out.

On the immediate roster side, Lovelady's reintegration into a bullpen that has been historically challenged this season is worth monitoring as Washington closes out the final weeks of a 2026 campaign defined, in no small part, by relief pitching that set records for the wrong reasons. Whether a returning left-hander can help stabilize even the margins of that group is the near-term question the next few appearances will begin to answer.