Eddy

Yean

Yean allowed a run in an inning in his lone appearance during his four days with the Nationals.

He takes the bullpen spot of Zak Kent, who was sent down after Tuesday’s game. Yean has allowed two earned runs in 10 innings for the Nationals this season.

Yean returns to the minors after recording two outs against the Phillies during Monday’s game. The Nationals are going to bring up another reliever for the remainder of the series.

Yean was up for a few hours earlier this month, throwing two scoreless innings before getting sent down. The 25-year-old had a 3.35 ERA and a 47/20 K/BB over 43 innings in 42 appearances for Rochester.

Yean was just recalled before Sunday’s game, and he pitched well in his MLB debut with two scoreless innings. The Nationals will need a fresh arm for their beleaguered bullpen, however, so Yean will head back to Rochester with a corresponding move to be announced Monday. That will likely be Matt Krook, who was claimed off waivers Sunday.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 25-year-old right-hander. Yean made 39 appearances out of the bullpen at Triple-A Rochester, registering a 3.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 45/19 K/BB ratio across 40 innings of work. He’ll function in a middle relief role for the Nationals.

The 24-year-old right-hander spent the 2025 campaign in the Pirates’ organization where he compiled a 3.06 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and a 54/45 K/BB ratio over 70 2/3 innings in 50 appearances. He’ll add bullpen depth in the upper minors for the Nationals.

Johnson is the most noteworthy of the three despite posting a .177/.248/.226 slash line over 140 MLB plate appearances. In 2024, he hit hitting .288/.407/.431 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. He has always posted solid walk rates and can swipe bases, so there’s a chance he can play his way into some at-bats in Pittsburgh in 2024. Nuñez could provide organization depth at the corner infield spots, and Yean was traded with Wil Crowe from the Nationals to the Pirates for Josh Bell back in 2020. Yean had been the Nationals’ 6th-ranked prospect at the time but he hasn’t been able to match those expectations.

Yean didn’t appear in a live game in 2020 -- like most other minor leaguers -- but he did register a strong 3.50 ERA, 1.165 WHIP, and 43/17 K/BB ratio over 46 1/3 innings (10 starts) between the rookie ball and Low-A Auburn in 2019. The hard-throwing 19-year-old looks like a nice long-term piece for the rebuilding Bucs.