The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Riley Cornelio from Triple-A Rochester on Friday and optioned right-handed pitcher Julian Fernández on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcements.
Cornelio, 25, joins the Nationals after going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 27 strikeouts and eight walks in four starts with Triple-A Rochester in 2026. Opposing batters hit just .180 (11-for-61, 2B, 3B, 2 HR) against him. In his last outing on April 19 vs. Buffalo (TOR), he struck out a season-high nine batters in 5.0 innings of three-hit, one-run ball to earn the win.
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 makes his debut, Cornelio will become 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).