MIAMI – The Nationals have pulled Keibert Ruiz back from his minor league rehab assignment after he experienced a recurrence of mild headaches, a concerning development for the 27-year-old catcher, who has been on the 7-day concussion injured list for two months.
Ruiz had been cleared last week to begin playing in games with Double-A Harrisburg, and he was in the Senators’ lineup for three straight days, catching five innings Tuesday while serving as designated hitter Wednesday. He was struck in the mask by a foul ball in the second inning of Thursday’s game in Bowie but continued to play through the full six innings that were scheduled for him all along.
The Nationals had announced plans for Ruiz to continue building up his workload to seven innings behind the plate Friday and (after again DHing Saturday) the full nine innings Sunday. But he was unable to play in any of those games after reporting “mild headaches,” according to the team.
Ruiz was pulled off the rehab assignment and will now rejoin the Nats here in Miami, where he will continue the concussion protocol the club and Major League Baseball have outlined.
“It’s a little concerning,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “But we’ve got to look at what is best for him. Right now, he’s experiencing a little headache, and we’re going to see how he feels tomorrow. We’ve just got to wait and see.”
Ruiz had hoped he was finally back to full health after a long summer spent waiting for his symptoms to completely disappear. He originally was struck in the head June 23 by teammate Josh Bell’s foul ball into the dugout at Petco Park in San Diego. Cleared to rejoin the active roster 11 days later, he started behind the plate for the Nationals both July 4 and July 5, when he was struck in the mask by a foul ball.
The Nationals placed him back on the 7-day concussion IL after that, and Ruiz was prevented from any baseball activities for several weeks. After a slow ramp-up that mostly included batting practice but no catching drills, Ruiz was able to take live batting practice last week, the final step before he would begin his rehab assignment.
Now, there is legitimate question whether he will attempt to return before season’s end, and how the Nats will approach his preparation for the 2026 season. Ruiz, who signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension in March 2023, was taking some ground balls at first base last month before he was cleared to resume catching, but both he and Cairo downplayed the notion of a full-blown position change.
“It’s got to be tough on him,” Cairo said. “It’s got to be tough when you experience concussions, and you get hit so many times in the face and you’re experiencing headaches. Of course you’ve got to worry about the human, the person. I know he wants to be playing. I know he wants to be here with us. But right now, the first thing is his health, and that’s what we’re trying to look (out) for.”
* MacKenzie Gore is ready to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, another encouraging sign that the left-hander’s shoulder injury isn’t a long-term concern.
Gore, who was placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation Aug. 30 (retroactive to Aug. 27), was cleared to start throwing again within days and on Saturday threw 25 pitches off a mound for the first time.
The Nationals haven’t ruled out the possibility Gore returns to pitch for them before season’s end, and the lefty has said he would like to make it back.
* Josiah Gray is scheduled to make his next rehab start Saturday for Harrisburg after successfully getting through Sunday’s start for Single-A Wilmington with no apparent issues.
Gray, who had Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure in July 2024, threw 34 pitches over 1 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday in his first competitive action since he was diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament. The right-hander, who started Opening Day for the Nationals in 2024, will build up from that total Saturday for Harrisburg. If all goes well, he could then make one more rehab start for Triple-A Rochester the following week before club officials decide if its worth activating him off the 60-day IL to pitch in the majors during the season’s final week.