Are Washington Nationals Already Running Franchise Cornerstone Into the Ground?
The Washington Nationals have gotten off to a middling start this year, going 7-12 to open the season. They started the year cold, got hot for a week and are currently slumping again
One reason for the team's poor performance lately is catcher Keibert Ruiz. He's cooled off after a fast start, going 1-for-12 with three strikeouts over his last three games.
While he's still batting a robust .317/.377/.444 with 20 hits and 11 RBI, some fans are already concerned about the 26-year-old's heavy workload. The Nationals have had 19 games so far, and Ruiz has played in 17 of them.
That puts him on pace to play 145 games in a 162-game schedule, which would blow away his previous career high of 136 from two years ago.
That type of workload is unheard of for a catcher, even one as young as Ruiz. Catchers take a beating behind the plate and play the most physically demanding position on the diamond, so they need frequent rest days -- typically at least one per week. They simply can't be expected to play every day.
Keibert Ruiz is now just 1-for-14 going back to Sunday. When the game went to 6-0 tonight, why wasn't Keibert subbed out? Better question, why has he been playing every game but one? You knew he would splat on the wall at some point. It's called diminishing returns.
— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) April 17, 2025
Davey… pic.twitter.com/AfuZVoDYEv
According to Washington manager Dave Martinez, Ruiz wants to be in the lineup everyday. "He was adamant about playing," Martinez said over the weekend.
That's great, but Ruiz isn't the manager. Martinez is the one who fills out the lineup card, so he needs to step in and force his young backstop to take a seat, even if he doesn't want to.
Ruiz probably feels great now, but there's still over 140 games to go. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, and Ruiz needs to pace himself if he wants to be healthy and productive during the dog days of summer.
Martinez needs to take the long view here and protect Ruiz from himself. It's a long season, and there's no sense in running one of the team's best and most valuable players into the ground in April.
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