Yes, I know it's still early in the season. Yes, I know the Washington Nationals have not exactly impressed to this point with just a 1-4 record to show through 5 games. Yes, I know that multiple starters like Dylan Crews, Jacob Young, Luis Garcia Jr., and Josh Bell are sputtering at the plate. But, if there is any good news to follow when it comes to this team right now, it's that Keibert Ruiz might finally be breaking out.
You read that right. Keibert Ruiz, who was once the centerpiece of the Max Scherzer and Trea Turner trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, is off to an incredible start in the 2025 season. It's hard to believe that we are already in year 5 of Keibert Ruiz on the Washington Nationals, and after becoming one of the rare young Nationals players who was actually extended early on back in March of 2023, it appears as if he is ready to make good on all of the promise that he had as a prospect.
If you remember Ruiz last season, you might remember that he had an illness that caused a significant drop in weight, and ultimately saw him never really fully regain health throughout the season. As a result, he sputtered to a .619 OPS, with an unimpressive .229/.260/.359 slash line to go along with 13 homers and 57 RBIs.
Already through just 5 games Ruiz has a pair of homers and 5 RBIs, but beyond the numbers, he looks a lot more comfortable at the plate. He has a .412/.474/.824 slash line so far, and an even 1:1 BB:K ratio. The key for Ruiz, who has a fantastic contact tool, is that he has needed to hone in his plate discipline for awhile now. After walking just 16 times in 485 plate appearances last year, he walked for the first time on Tuesday night, and also had a big 2-run single that got the Nationals right back into the game in the 6th inning.
Of course, the Nationals would ultimately fall to the Blue Jays by a score of 5-3, but Ruiz gave the club a fighting chance. Davey Martinez has rewarded Ruiz for his great start to the season, as he found himself in the number 3 spot in the order on Tuesday, and if he keeps swinging the bat like this, he might find himself in the upper part of the order for the foreseeable future. Locating positive sentiments about this team seems like trying to find a needle in a haystack right now, but if there is any bright side, at least Lucas Sims finally made a clean appearance!
Is the breakout for real? It definitely could be. We have seen flashes of brilliance from Ruiz over the last few seasons, but there would always be the typical at-bats that we have grown accustomed to seeing from him where he would swing at a couple bad pitches or roll over on a lazy ground ball to second base. If Ruiz can continue to elevate the ball like he has so far, we will see pitchers start to be more careful with him, and hopefully he can boost his OBP this year. Obviously it's early, but it is very encouraging to see what we've seen from him so far.
Ruiz needs help. This Nationals offense is abysmal to watch right now, as the club has only managed 11 hits through 2 games against the Blue Jays so far in this series. MacKenzie Gore will take the mound on Wednesday, looking for another dominant start similar to what we saw from him on Opening Day, but he will need to get some legitimate run support. Hopefully, Ruiz and company can help Gore get that first victory of the season, and get the team back into the win column.
Do you think this version of Keibert Ruiz is here to stay? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.