Nationals Manager Provides Concerning Update on Keibert Ruiz's Injury Scare

For the second time in as many weeks, an MLB player was struck in the head by a foul ball while in the dugout.

In the top of the fourth inning of Monday's game between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres, Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Josh Bell.

Ruiz had to be removed from the game, and he was replaced in the lineup by Riley Adams.

The Nationals went on to win 10-6, but the victory was overshadowed by concern for Ruiz.

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"When he went down, we kind of got scared a little bit,” manager Davey Martinez told MASN's Mark Zuckerman after the game. “He had a nice lump on his head.”

According to Zuckerman, Martinez also shared that Ruiz was sent to the hospital for a CT scan to assess the extent of the injury to his head.

The team is still awaiting the results of the scan, which will determine whether or not Ruiz will need to go on the injured list.

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“I love that kid,” Martinez told Zuckerman. “He wants to play every day. He’s a gamer. So hopefully it’s just precautionary, and he comes back and he’s good to go.”

Ruiz, a 26-year-old native of Venezuela, is a key cog in Washington's ongoing rebuild.

The switch-hitting backstop was acquired by the club from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal at the 2021 MLB trade deadline that sent 2019 World Series champions and franchise cornerstones Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles.

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