The Washington Nationals will get ready to square off against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, and have a chance to take a series from a very solid team. After getting blown out in the series opener due to the continued struggles of starting pitcher Jake Irvin on Friday, the team bounced back in a big way on Saturday.
Brad Lord had a very nice outing, Daylen Lile continued his impressive rookie season by clubbing his 4th homer of the season, and the Nationals were able to sneak out with a 2-1 victory. On Sunday, rookie lefty Andrew Alvarez will be making his second career start, and we can only hope he's even close to as good as he was in his MLB debut on Labor Day.
Elsewhere in the organization, Andrew Golden from The Washington Post provided some valuable injury updates via X, and I will dive into those as well as the ramifications on the rest of this season for the Nationals.
First of all, righty starter and 2024 All-Star Josiah Gray will make a rehab start for High-A Wilmington today, and will be on a strict limit of either 2 innings pitched or 35 pitches, whichever comes first. He has yet to appear this season since recovering from Tommy John Surgery, and it would be very encouraging to see if he can meet his goal of getting back on a big league mound before the end of the 2025 season.
After a string of incredible performances for top pitching prospect Jarlin Susana, he was removed from his last start with an injury, and Nationals fans everywhere had been holding their breath. It was said at the time that he was removed for an arm injury, and many assumed he was headed for Tommy John Surgery of his own, as Travis Sykora was initially diagnosed with the same injury before needing to go under the knife.
Fortunately, Susana underwent an MRI and it revealed a right lat strain, which seems like a miracle considering how bad it was initially thought to be. There is a very good chance that his season will now be over, but the 2025 season was a huge developmental year for him, and if he can stay healthy, he is likely on track to make his big league debut by the end of next season if he keeps developing the way he has so far.
Another injured National, catcher Keibert Ruiz, has been rehabbing with AA Harrisburg, and is expected to catch a full 9 inning game today for the first time since his assignment began. Ruiz has been out for awhile after suffering a pair of concussions, and he has not looked great at the plate so far since he began rehabbing. He has 0 hits in 8 at-bats, and has struck out 6 times while walking 3 times.
The Nationals have actually improved dramatically at the catcher position since Ruiz went down, as Riley Adams, Drew Millas, a cameo from CJ Stubbs, and now a couple games from Jorge Alfaro have proven more than capable of holding down the fort. The 2025 season has become a lost one for Ruiz, and I would not be surprised if the team uses his rehab assignment as a prolonged opportunity for him to get himself right and not bring him back to the big leagues this season. Only time will tell, but Ruiz will have to show some legitimate improvements if he wants to prove he belongs back in the big leagues.
Finally, All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore is continuing his strength and throwing program, and given that he was put on the 15-day IL, there is a very good chance that his 2025 season is done. Perhaps the Nationals will bring him back to make one last start or two, but at this point I would be surprised to see him back before the end of the year.
Which injured National do you want to see return the most? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.