As if the Nats did not already have enough problems in their bullpen, they have now been hit with the injury bug. Two Nats relievers are now on the shelf, with Cole Henry and Ken Waldichuk hitting the IL. Waldichuk going on the IL was not much of a surprise to anyone who watched him leave the other day, but Henry hitting the shelf is a bit more surprising.
Things looked really bad for Ken Waldichuk when he left the game yesterday. Leaving the game while grimacing in pain and pointing at your elbow is never a good sign. For now at least, the injury is just listed as forearm tightness. Hopefully Waldichuk avoided anything serious and can come back sooner rather than later.
Waldichuk had a Tommy John in 2024, and the recovery was bumpy to say the least. He did not look like himself when he returned in 2025. That led to the southpaw bouncing around the waiver wire until he found a home in DC. Before he got hurt, Waldichuk was having his best outing of the season, which made the injury sting even more.
For Henry, you have to hope this injury is not too serious and is just a case of the Nats wanting to give him a re-set. After Waldichuk went down, Henry came in and blew the Nats lead. Now, he is on the shelf with a rotator cuff injury.
For a guy with a lengthy injury history that includes surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a rotator cuff injury sounds ominous. We will have to hear about what the severity of that injury is before we jump to conclusions. Henry got off to a great start in the big leagues last year, but faded down the stretch and did not have a good start to this season.
To replace these two, the Nats have turned to a couple familiar faces. Of the pair, I am the most excited about Orlando Ribalta. The results have not been there for Ribalta in his 26 career big league outings, but I like his stuff. Ribalta has a mid-90’s heater with real life, as well as a slider and a changeup that can both look very good at times.
The big thing for Ribalta is control and keeping the ball in the yard. He has struggled with both as a big leaguer, walking over 6 batters per nine and allowing nearly two homers per nine. However, he does have swing and miss stuff, as well as a track record of success in the minors. In his six outings for Rochester, Ribalta has been very solid this season with a 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of 0.75.
Jackson Rutledge was the other pitcher the Nats called up. Rutledge was a first round pick for the Nats back in 2019, but has not yet solidified himself as a big leaguer. He made 63 appearances last year, and looked good at times, but his 5.77 ERA for the season left a lot to be desired.
Rutledge has not looked great in AAA to start this year either. He has a 5.40 ERA in five innings, with five walks to just one strikeout. Rutledge’s fastball, slider and splitter combo can look good at times, but it is inconsistent. Despite solid velocity, the fastball does not play well. When he has a feel for his secondary pitches, he can have success, but when he does not, things can get ugly.
Overall, this is just more musical chairs for a bullpen that is light on difference makers. I like Ribalta’s upside and Rutledge can look good in flashes, but both need to find consistency. For the bullpen, the Nats need to keep giving guys chances and see who can stick around.
