Washington Nationals recall Riley Cornelio

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Riley Cornelio from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday and optioned right-handed pitcher Cole Henry to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcements.

Cornelio, 25, joins the Nationals for the second time this season after he made his Major League debut out of the bullpen on April 24 at Chicago (AL). With Triple-A Rochester this season, Cornelio worked 11 games (nine starts) and was 5-1 with a 4.87 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. His five wins and 64 strikeouts are both tied for the most in the Nationals organization.

Washington’s 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Cornelio led the system in ERA (3.28), opponents average (.205) and starts (26) and ranked second in strikeouts (135), WHIP (1.15) and innings (134.1). He went 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA, 135 strikeouts and 55 walks in 134.1 innings across 27 games (26 starts) between High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Cornelio was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University. When he made his debut, Cornelio became the fourth Hawaiian-born player to play for the Nationals (2005-pres.), joining catcher Kurt Suzuki (2012-13, 2019-20) and right-handed pitchers Jerome Williams (2007) and Rico Garcia (2023).