Harry Ford knocks in two, misses out on home run

Ford takes a seat after exiting Friday’s game with a left-hand issue that could also be wrist-related. The encouraging news here is that he hasn’t been placed on the injured list, which typically happens whenever a backup catcher is facing an absence. There should be an update on his status at some point before the weekend wraps up.

Ford felt something during his final at-bat which prompted his removal and he went for testing after the ballgame. No word yet on the results of that imaging. The Nationals’ depth behind the plate is very thin at the moment so if Ford lands on the injured list, it could lead to chaos. Expect the Nats to have an update on his status prior to Saturday’s game.

Ford has settled into about a 60/40 timeshare in deference to the veteran Keibert Ruiz as the season winds down. He’s played 23 games since his recall on July 17, starting 19, and is hitting .197/.303/.409 with three homers and a stolen base. Not exactly numbers that have us rushing to the waiver wire, but he certainly hasn’t embarrassed himself early.

Ford had just four homers in 58 games in Triple-A this season, but it took him only three plate appearances to go deep for the Nationals. It’s his first major league homer, as he didn’t have any in his eight plate appearances for the Mariners in his cameo last season. Ford’s fantasy potential has taken a major hit with his stolen base ability vanishing — he had no steals in Triple-A this year after dropping from 35 in Double-A in 2024 to just seven for Tacoma in 2025 — but there’s still hope for him as a starting catcher for the Nationals. He’ll probably return to Triple-A once Drew Millas returns from the IL, but he’ll see a fair amount of action until then.

He’ll probably split time with Keibert Ruiz fairly evenly, so he’s not necessarily a must-roster in shallow leagues. Ford hit .223/.370/.335 in 58 games in Triple-A Rochester, but .292/.486/.542 in eight July contests that convinced the Nationals that he might be ready.

Ford came to the Nationals in the offseason in a trade for reliever Jose A. Ferrer and immediately became one of the top prospects in Washington’s system. He was sent to Triple-A, where he played through a shoulder injury and hit .223/.370/.335 in 58 games with four home runs, 34 runs scored, and 22 RBI. However, Ford has been improving of late, posting an .841 OPS in June and then hitting .292/.486/.542 in eight games in July with a 7/9 K/BB ratio. Keibert Ruiz is hitting .275/.302/.465 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 62 games this season, so Ford is not going to immediately supplant him, but the young prospect could see regular starts against left-handed pitchers early on. He remains off the fantasy radar for now.

Ford didn’t help his chances of making the Nationals by going to play for Great Britain in the WBC, but his bigger problem is that Keibert Ruiz has had a nice spring to date. The Nationals weren’t going to keep the 23-year-old Ford as a backup to Ruiz, so he’ll have to wait and see what happens once the games start counting. With Adams also being dropped, it’s clear that Drew Millas will serve as Ruiz’s backup.

The homer was a 418-foot shot off Jared Koenig. Ford probably isn’t helping his chances of making the Nationals by taking part in his second World Baseball Classic, but barring quite the upset by Great Britain in Pool B, he could be back with the team in a week. He could wind up Triple-A for a spell to start the year while the Nationals decide what they’re doing with Keibert Ruiz.

One imagines there’s some pressure on the newly acquired Ford to be in Nationals camp gaining reps with all of the team’s pitchers, but at least Great Britain probably isn’t in for a lengthy WBC run. It still might lessen his chances of breaking camp with the Nationals, though giving Keibert Ruiz one last chance as a starter is probably the team’s plan anyway.

The 22-year-old backstop was the 12th overall pick from the 2021 draft. Ford spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Tacoma where he slashed a healthy .283/.408/.460 with 16 homers, 74 RBI and seven stolen bases in 458 plate appearances. With the struggles of Keibert Ruiz and the rest of the Nationals’ catching depth being unsettled, the door is open for Ford to seize a significant role on the club’s Opening Day roster, which could lead to fantasy relevance.