Could Nationals Bury Keibert Ruiz in Triple-A Going Forward?

It has not been a good year for incumbent Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz.

With the hope that he would get back on track and flash the hitting tool that he showed in 2023 when he hit 18 homers and drove in 67 runs to go along with a slash line of .260/.308/.409, things have gotten even worse for the former highly-touted prospect.

Not only has Ruiz's play deteriorated, but he's also been dealing with some concussion symptoms since suffering what appears to be two back in late June and early July.

On a rehab assignment with the intent of returning for the final stretch of the year, he was recently pulled off of that because he experienced some headaches.

That is not a good sign for the 27-year-old.

But while the focus should be on making sure Ruiz gets healthy and remains healthy for his personal safety after he suffered what he said were "scary" injuries, the Nationals also have to plan for the future when it comes to their catching position.

How Regime Change Could Affect Keibert Ruiz Even before this unfortunate string of injuries, it's no secret that Ruiz had not been performing up to the standard of an everyday MLB player with an OPS+ that was 26 points below the league average in 2024 and 31 points below the league average this year.

Combined with his poor defense behind the plate, Washington was facing a tough decision on the future of that position.

That's because they inked Ruiz to an eight-year, $50 million extension ahead of the 2023 season before he had really proven himself at the big league level.

And while it looked smart considering how he performed that year, it's put them in a bind now that he's regressed.

So as the Nationals get ready to bring in a new regime -- one that has no ties to Ruiz -- there's a good chance that he could find himself on the outside looking in when it comes to his future with the organization.

Nationals Could Keep Keibert Ruiz in Minors Going Forward When it comes to how Washington might handle Ruiz and his failed extension, there's a good chance that he could find himself buries in Triple-A, being used as a call-up if there are injuries until his options run out.

"When some of these pre-arb extensions go wrong, players often spend the last years of their deals buried in Triple-A.

Sadly, that is something I can see happening here.

Since Ruiz has gone down, the Nats have gotten more from the catching position.

The last couple years, Ruiz just hasnt been an MLB caliber player while on the field," wrote Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball .

There's a good chance that happens unless Ruiz can have a good showing for himself during the upcoming spring where he shows that he can provide value at least with the bat in his hands.

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