It feels like a lifetime ago when the Washington Nationals were handing out a $300,000 signing bonus to a teenager from Santo Domingo who looked like he could jump over a house. That kid was Jeremy De La Rosa. If you follow the Nats’ farm system, you know the name. You probably also know the frustration.
The hype was real. Back in 2021 and 2022, scouts were calling him a "five-tool" player—the kind of rare athlete who can run, throw, and hit for power. People were comparing his bat speed to elite major leaguers. But here we are in 2026, and the conversation around De La Rosa has changed from "when will he debut?" to "can he still make it?"
Honestly, the road has been brutal.
The Rise and the Sudden Stall
Jeremy Jose De La Rosa didn't just walk into the Nationals organization; he sprinted. He skipped the Dominican Summer League entirely, which is basically unheard of for a 17-year-old. The Nats saw enough in his raw power and lefty swing to throw him straight into the Gulf Coast League.
By 2022, he was a monster. He slashed .315/.394/.505 with the Fredericksburg Nationals. He was stealing bases at will—39 of them that year, to be exact. It looked like the Nationals had found a centerpiece for their post-Soto rebuild.
Then came the injuries.
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First, it was the hamate bone in his hand. If you know baseball, you know that’s a power killer. You can’t grip the bat the same. You lose that "snap" in your wrists. He had surgery in late 2022, and he hasn't quite been the same guy since.
Why 2024 and 2025 Were So Tough
You've probably seen the stat lines. They aren't pretty. In 2024, De La Rosa hit just .187 across three different minor league levels. That is a hard pill to swallow for a guy who used to be ranked as high as #7 in the entire organization.
What went wrong? Basically, the strikeout bug bit him hard.
- Plate Discipline: He started chasing high velocity.
- Shoulder Issues: A shoulder injury kept him on the IL for the start of 2024.
- Contact Rate: His strikeout rate ballooned to nearly 30% at times.
It’s easy to look at a .200 average and say a player is "bust" material. But with De La Rosa, the physical tools are still there. He’s 6’0” and 215 pounds of pure muscle. When he connects, the ball still goes 400 feet. The problem is that "when."
Jeremy De La Rosa in 2026: The Current Reality
Entering 2026, De La Rosa is in a "prove it" year. He’s no longer on the 40-man roster. The Nationals outrighted him to Triple-A Rochester a while back, and he's had to fight for every plate appearance in High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg since.
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The Nats' outfield depth has also gotten a lot more crowded. With James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Robert Hassell III taking up all the oxygen in the prospect rankings, De La Rosa has become the forgotten man.
He’s currently 24 years old. In prospect years, that’s getting up there.
- Speed: Still a plus runner.
- Defense: Can still play all three outfield spots at an above-average level.
- Power: The raw strength is there, but the game-power has vanished.
What Scouts Are Saying Now
Talk to a scout today and they’ll tell you he’s "extreme risk." That’s the grade Baseball America gave him recently. He has the upside of a fourth outfielder—a guy who can come off the bench, pinch-run, and play late-inning defense—but the dream of him being an All-Star starter has faded for most evaluators.
There is a small group of believers who think a change of scenery might fix him. Sometimes a guy just needs a new hitting coach or a different organization's "eye" to reset his mechanics.
He’s still tinkering with his swing. He’s trying to stay on plane longer. He’s trying to stop selling out for home runs.
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The Path Forward
If Jeremy De La Rosa wants to see a Major League field, he has to fix the contact issues. Period. You can't survive in the big leagues hitting under .200 in the minors, no matter how fast you are.
Here is the realistic outlook for the rest of 2026:
- He needs to stay healthy for a full 100-game stretch.
- He has to get that OBP (On-Base Percentage) back above .330.
- He needs to show he can handle Double-A pitching consistently.
It’s a long shot. But in baseball, guys with this much natural athleticism sometimes "click" late. Think of players who didn't find their footing until their mid-20s.
Keep an eye on the transactions wire. If he starts putting up numbers in Harrisburg, or if a team like the Rays or Guardians takes a flyer on him via a minor trade, it might be the spark he needs.
For now, he's a cautionary tale about how quickly a "can't-miss" prospect can find themselves fighting for a job.
To stay updated on his progress, you should monitor the daily box scores for the Wilmington Blue Rocks or Harrisburg Senators. Look specifically at his "K/BB" ratio—if the walks are going up and the strikeouts are going down, the comeback might actually be happening.