Nationals Have No Other Option but to Believe in Keibert Ruiz

The Washington Nationals have a problem on their hands.

While they have plenty of young players who look like future franchise cornerstones at multiple positions, they have a major issue on their hands at catcher.

Keibert Ruiz is struggling once again, and it doesn't seem like that's going to change.

Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post (subscription required) dove into the issues that Ruiz has had during his Nationals tenure, highlighting how things have not changed for the 26-year-old this season since he is 37th out of 38 catchers in terms of OPS who have had 150 plate appearances this year, and defensively, he's just as poor by ranking 36th in framing and 36th in defensive runs above average out of 36.

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It was a brutally honest piece about where Washington stands regarding the future of their catcher position, especially because the team jumped into an eight-year, $50 million extension during spring training in 2023.

While that is not a huge financial commitment, it does make them operate in a manner where they are constantly extending the leash for Ruiz.

Simply put, if they hadn't secured him to that deal, it's hard to imagine he'd still be on the roster.

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But that's not the reality of the situation, so the Nationals are just hoping things eventually click for Ruiz eventually.

"We all believe in him," manager Dave Martinez said, per Svrluga.

Where they are getting that belief from is hard to tell, especially when looking at both his offensive and defensive numbers. However, perhaps it's the situation behind Ruiz that is lending Washington's "belief" into being more of a "hope."

That's because there isn't another real option behind Ruiz.

Riley Adams and Drew Millas are both hitting well below the Mendoza line, and since they don't have the past pedigree that Ruiz has, it's hard to envision them ever being difference makers on offense.

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So the Nationals find themselves in a tough spot.

At some point they're going to realize Ruiz isn't the long-term answer at catcher for them, but without a viable backup plan in place, they could be looking at some of the worst production at that position across the league for years to come.

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