Nationals' Keibert Ruiz Continues Rehab in Race to Return This Season
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The focus around the Washington Nationals now and going into the offseason will continue to be their hunt for a new general manager manager. With their season officially over and likely headed for another last pace finish, the on field play won't be about wins and losses, for the most part.
The rest of the season is for players to showcase their talent in order to win roster spots next season. In some other cases, it's extra time to work back from an injury.
Washington hasn't dealt with too many injuries this season compared to other teams, especially from their starters. While they've had injuries to top pitching prospects, the two biggest impact players on the injured list, Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray, have been rehabbing and continue to get closer.
Ruiz Continues Baseball Activities
Ruiz has had an injury-riddled 2025. One of the center pieces of the Max Scherzer and Trea Turner trade in 2021, Ruiz was a highly touted catching prospect. As a full time catcher, Ruiz has yet to find it all at the plate.
His 2022 and 2023 seasons looked like he was ascending. He set a career high in bWAR in 2022 with 1.5, then upped his game the next season, hitting career highs in home runs (18), RBIs (67), and OPS (.717). His 98 OPS+, a career high, was a more than solid number for a catcher.
He regressed in 2024, hitting 13 home runs with a .619 OPS before it started to unravel this season. Hitting just two home runs in 68 games, Ruiz's 69 OPS+ was well below league average. And then he got hurt.
The 27-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 24 with a head injury. He was activated on July 4, but soon went back on the 7-day IL. He began a rehab assignment in September, but was soon pulled off of it after experiencing more concussion symptoms.
The Washington Post's Spencer Nusbaum reported on Monday on X (formerly Twitter) that Ruiz "will continue with workouts and rehab protocol." This includes baseball activities.
There is no timetable on when Ruiz will be back, if at all this season. He has considered a position change because of the "scary" symptoms he has experienced, which unfortunately has happeend before at the position.
Washington will be careful with Ruiz and his symptoms moving forward before he rehabs again.
Josiah Gray Continues To Pitch, Jarlin Susana Has Surgery
Gray was the other headliner in the aforementioned 2021 trade. The right-hander really broke out in 2023, throwing 159 innings, striking out 143 batters with a 3.91 ERA and even made the All-Star team.
His 3.1 bWAR that season was the highest among pitchers on the team and it looked like Washington had found a nice one-two punch with Gray and MacKenzie Gore.
The 27-year-old went down in April of 2024, with an elbow injury and tried to work his way back. He rehabbed in June, but eventually went on the 60-day IL and underwent Tommy John surgery.
Gray has made two rehab appearances at High-A and Double-A so far this season, throwing three innings, allowing four hits, no runs and striking out three. He takes his next step on Friday, as Nusbaum says he will throw three innings and 45 pitches in Triple-A.
He would be a welcome addition to the 2026 rotation.
Down on the farm, flame thrower Jarlin Susana underwent lat surgery, according to Nusbaum. Susana, the 69th ranked prospect in baseball, had maybe the best year of his career this season.
In 14 starts across two levels, the 21-year-old threw 56.1 innings, striking out 95 and postined a 3.51 ERA. He is the second ranked pitching prospect in the system and his stuff will allow him to strikeout batters at all levels and possibly continue to move quickly when he returns from injury.
