The nationals signed the left Alex Young to a minor league deal, according to his trade tracker on MLB.com. THE·TEAM client has been assigned to the Florida Coast League Nationals for now but will likely report to Triple-A when he is ready.
Young will be looking to return to the big leagues for the first time since 2024. Through 2025, he signed a minor league deal with the Reds. During spring training that year, he injured his elbow and Tommy John surgery seemed likely.
It is unclear what has happened since then. In April of last year, he made a post on his personal Instagram that is no longer available, although he mentioned that he had surgery to end the season. Various sources, including YardBarker’s Greg Kuffner, relayed details of the post at the time.
“I never thought I would be in this position,” Young wrote. “And I didn’t think I’d ever need surgery. Turns out, I’ve been suffering from unconsciousness for the past nine years, and the bone fragments that have built up over the years. It’s crazy to think how much I put my arm through without realizing what was really going on. It certainly wasn’t the way I wanted to have the 2025 season I wanted to take care of it but I needed to take care of it.’ moving forward The surgery went well. Thank you to Dr. Meister and his team for giving my elbow a second chance at life.
Before this injury odyssey, Young had some success in the majors. From 2019 to 2024, he logged 277 2/3 innings, allowing 4.34 earned runs per nine. He was even better in the latter part of that section. From 2022 to 2024, he pitched 96 innings with a 3.28 ERA. His 20.5% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in that span weren’t too strong but he induced the base on 50.9% of balls in play.
His current health status is unknown but the Nats are a good place for him. They are rebuilding and have one of the worst bullpens in the league. Their relievers have a combined 4.63 ERA this year, with only five teams higher than that. If Young can recover from his surgery and be in good shape, they should be able to find a spot for him. Everyone in their current bullpen can be selected without this Richard Lovelady.
If Young finds a place, he himself is out of options. If he completes a year on the roster, he could be protected through a settlement through 2027, though he has a few steps to go through before that becomes something to consider.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
