Aug 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Cole Henry (99) looks on during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Assessing Nationals Rookie Cole Henry’s Impressive Season as Reliever

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Sean O'Leary | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 4:00 PM ET

After Saturday's action, the Washington Nationals were officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Nationals haven't made the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2019 and could possibly finish in last place in the NL East for the fifth time since.

There is plenty to get excited about in terms of their future, though. The core of James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore is one of the best young groups in baseball. They have the number one pick in Eli Willits and two of the more exciting pitching prospects in Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana, though both are shut down due to injury.

At the major league level, Andrew Alvarez has been a great story since his historic major league debut.

One of their most reliable relievers was a rookie, Cole Henry. His great debut season has come to an end, as Washington announced he would hit the 15-day injured list with a back strain.

Cole Henry Quickly Became One of the Nationals’ Best Relievers

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Henry was a second round pick in the 2020 draft out of LSU. A starter for his entire career, the 26-year-old only transitioned to the bullpen this year.

The right-hander's minor league carer was defined by injuries. From 2021-2024, his first four seasons, Henry made it all the way to Double-A, despite not having more than 47 innings in a season. He dealt with elbow issues coming out of college, and even had thoracic outlet syndrome in 2022.

Despite all of the injuries and missed starts, Henry kept moving up and was highly touted because of his talent. HIs first pro season was his best, throwing a career high 47 innings to the tune of a 2.30 ERA with a 13.4 K/9.

After the 2024 season, Henry was ranked 25th in Washington's system, according to MLB Pipeline. With three above average pitches, there was room for a lot of excitment.

He was moved to the bullpen this season, though, and didn't look back.

Henry is tied for the second most amount of appearances on the team with 57. In 52.2 innings, Henry pitched to a 4.27 ERA while striking out 52.

The season numbers don't necessarily tell the entire story. Before a couple multi-run outings to end the season, Henry's ERA was 3.73 through his first 54 games. He struggled with a 5.03 ERA in the second half, but was lights out before that.

Cole Henry wasn't perfect in his rookie year, but he clearly proved that he will be a part of this Nationals bullpen moving forward. He has the stuff to become a high leverage reliever and even saved two games this season.

His back injury may have shut him down for the season, but Washington should be excited about him for 2026.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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