Keibert

Ruiz

Ruiz gave the Nats a 6-2 lead with a two-run shot off Hoby Milner. He also drove in a run with a sac fly. The 27-year-old needs to hit in 2026 to hold off Harry Ford — although a Ruiz trade would make sense, either way — but fantasy managers should remain skeptical.

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.

Ruíz has been dealing with the effects of a concussion for two months now. The Nationals aren’t shutting him down, but a return this season doesn’t seem all that likely right now.

He’s slated to catch half of the game tonight and then DH on Wednesday. Ruiz has been on the IL with a concussion since July 8.

Ruiz was placed on the concussion IL on July 8 and had previously been on the concussion list in late June when a foul ball bounced off the back of the Petco Park dugout wall and struck him in the head. The catcher has shown signs of improvement, is working out with the team, and has progressed to hitting off a tee. There’s no word yet on an exact timeline, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Ruiz heads back to the concussion injured list for the second time in the last two weeks. At this point we’re just hoping the 26-year-old backstop makes a full recovery as quickly as possible. There is no timetable for his return at the moment.

Ruiz was injured June 23 when he was hit in the head by a foul ball sent into the dugout. He’ll go back to serving as the Nationals’ primary catcher, though he had lost some time to Riley Adams before getting hurt. Ruiz has hit just .247/.278/.320 in 259 plate appearances this season.

Ruiz heads to the injured list after being lifted from Monday’s series opener against the Padres when he was struck on the side of the head while in the dugout by a foul ball from teammate Josh Bell. It’s the second time in the past week that a player has been struck by a foul ball after a similar incident occurred last week involving Rays reliever Hunter Bigge. It’ll be Riley Adams handling the catching duties in his absence.

One of his four balls in play nearly rated as “hard hit,” however. Ruiz is 6-for-45 with no extra-base hits, no walks and one RBI this month. If the Nationals had quality alternatives behind the plate, perhaps they’d be ready to put Ruiz on waivers and send him down for a spell; he’s out of options, but no one would dare claim him. Ruiz is owed about $38 million through 2030.

García takes a seat along with fellow left-handed batter Nathaniel Lowe, while switch-hitters Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz are also on the bench on Monday night with rookie southpaw Carson Palmquist taking the ball for Colorado.