Drew Millas has been performing very well at the major league level this year. Unfortunately, he fractured a finger in Wednesday's game against the Yankees and will be placed on the injured list, potentially ending his 2025 season.
If his season is indeed over, we should remember it as a success, and potentially something to serve as the basis for a roster reconstruction.
Drew Millas is called for catcher's interference and was hurt on the play. After a long discussion with Paul Lessard and Miguel Cairo, he's coming out.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) August 27, 2025
Riley Adams was the designated hitter and now will move behind the plate, as the Nats forfeit the DH the rest of the game.
Evaluating Drew's 2025 season to date
Millas wasn't quite as productive in Triple-A this year, but he excelled there in 2024. His performance for the Nationals after coming up once Ruiz got hurt has been much more like the latter than the former. In 55 major league plate appearances this season, Millas has batted .307 with an OPS above .800.
Sure, that's better than he looked in the majors last year, but he was similarly successful in 2023, and his Triple-A track record has generally been strong too. The point is he's been performing well lately at the top level, and there are reasons to believe it's not a complete fluke. He has good plate discipline, and although he's not squaring the ball up yet, he's connecting with base hits at a rate that the other catchers haven't.
Perhaps more importantly, he's the best option in other areas. He's an average blocker and framer, he has a great throwing arm and pop time, and he's a league-average base runner, which is great for a catcher. But ultimately, if all of these are true, he's looked decent as a hitter, and he's been billed as a solid prospect, why shouldn't he be considered more seriously?
The Long-Term Impact
No one really expects the Nationals to move on from Keibert Ruiz, but it's becoming increasingly justifiable. It was already fair to wonder if Riley Adams was meaningfully worse than Ruiz, and Adams had never gotten a real opportunity to showcase his ability for an extended period of time.
Considering how well Millas played for the Nationals this year, he has entered the same conversation. In fact, he's the best defender of the trio, and he's also had the most major league success at the plate this year, albeit in a small sample size.
Since June 10, Riley Adams and Drew Millas rank among MLB catching tandems in :
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) August 22, 2025
AVG - 1st, .322
OBP - 1st, .391
SLG - 2nd, .504
OPS - 2nd, .895 pic.twitter.com/HHGAggWmOM
If we can make the case that Adams and Millas are as good as Ruiz, then what's the point of continuing to roll out Ruiz as a full-time starting catcher? Is there even a point in keeping Ruiz on the team?
If there's a way to keep all three while giving Millas a serious look, I would do that. But Ruiz and Adams are both out of minor league options, and it's frankly becoming unfair to keep treating Millas as the odd man out.
It's ironic that the one homegrown player the team has chosen to spend meaningful money on is actually blocking a player who's potentially more talented than him. If it were me, I would rip off the band-aid. We've seen Ruiz plenty, and it hasn't clicked. But should we expect the Nationals to pay Ruiz to go away? I doubt it.
Overall, if this is the end of Millas' season, it was an intriguing showing. Has it moved the needle for you? Let me know what you think @stephen_newman1 on X.