WASHINGTON -- The Nationals made some roster moves early Friday morning, activating catcher Keibert Ruiz from the injured list and placing righty Trevor Williams on the 15-day IL (right elbow sprain) prior to their 11-2 series-opener loss vs. the Red Sox at Nationals Park.
In corresponding moves, right-hander Ryan Loutos was recalled from Triple-A Rochester and catcher Drew Millas was optioned to Rochester.
Ruiz had been on the IL since June 24, when he was hit in the head by a foul ball while in the dugout when the Nats were in San Diego. Rather than put the backstop through a rehab assignment -- as he only missed 10 days -- Washington opted to put him through a rigorous workout on Thursday to test his readiness to return.
The workout simulated the stress put on a body over the course of a Major League game, with Ruiz doing sprints, taking BP outside, hitting in the cage inside and game planning.
“Yeah, coming right to the big leagues was OK,” Ruiz said. “I feel good, I was getting good workouts, and I feel ready.”
Ruiz had a slow welcome back, as is to be expected, going 1-for-4 with a single to lead off the eighth inning. The catcher tends to heat up a bit in the second half of the season, though -- going from a .220 first-half average to a .239 average last season, and an even bigger jump (.226 to .300) in 2023 -- and with just over a week left until the All-Star break, that improvement is imminent.
“It’s not the first time that happened to me,” Ruiz said. “I just gotta believe in myself, trust and work hard for the second half and believe it’s going to be a good one.
What’s the most important thing for him to do in that second half?
“Swing hard [at] good pitches,” Ruiz said, “[and] try and not chase too much.”
Having both Ruiz and Riley Adams behind the plate will also help as the Nats navigate what could be a while without Williams, and will also need to lean on some of their younger staff -- and dive back into their Minors depth.
Williams first noticed an issue immediately after his July 2 start in Game 1 of the Nats’ doubleheader vs. the Tigers, when he threw 54 pitches in the first inning. He lasted only three innings (86 pitches) and allowed seven runs. Williams felt he had trouble bouncing back from that start, prompting the Nats to send him for an MRI scan that revealed the sprain.
“Just didn’t feel right after [my] last start,” Williams said. “And I thought it was just the heat and everything. But we took an MRI scan yesterday, and we’re still TBD on what the next steps are.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly [what happened]. It could just be [a] mechanical deficiency. It could be a grip thing. Who knows? So the unfortunate part is that the MRI showed that I’m not going to be able to start this weekend. So we’re gonna see what happens and what the next steps are.”
Williams’ ERA has hovered between 5.00 and 6.00 all season, and he had a 6.21 ERA after his last start. He was in line to start the series finale vs. Boston on Sunday, leaving the Nats to scramble to figure out a pitching plan.
Washington has likely already made a decision, but it won’t become public until after its game on Saturday. One option would be to call up Cade Cavalli, who made his Major League debut in 2022, pitching just one big league game before landing on the injured list for the remainder of the season, then undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023. Since then, he’s dealt with setback after setback, but kept one eye on the Majors.
The Nationals could also opt to call up southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who began the year at Triple-A Rochester before dealing with an oblique injury. After a few games at the Rookie level and High-A, he was activated off the 7-day Minors IL on June 28, though he has not started since then.
Cavalli also hasn’t pitched in just over a week, his last start coming on June 28.
“We’re weighing out options right now,” manager Dave Martinez said. “We’re focused on getting through tomorrow.”