Nationals Relief Pitcher Showing Incredible Velocity Increase Returning From Injury

The Washington Nationals are going to be using the remainder of the 2025 MLB regular season as an evaluation for their roster, figuring out which players are going to be part of their core moving forward.

One spot where plenty of opportunities are available to be seized is on the pitching staff.

The Nationals made several trades ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year, including multiple relief pitchers who were on the move.

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Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia were traded as a duo to the Los Angeles Angels. Closer Kyle Finnegan was traded to the Detroit Tigers. Starting pitcher Michael Soroka was also dealt, landing with the Chicago Cubs.

That means there are plenty of innings up for grabs down the stretch and any pitcher who takes advantage of it could be putting themselves in a positon to earn a role in the future as well.

One player to keep an eye on is reliever, Orlando Ribalta.

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He was activated off the 15-day injured list back on July 24 after suffering a right biceps strain in mid-April. His rehab included stops at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester.

Ribalta didn’t return to the Major League roster right away, being optioned to Triple-A once he was healthy enough to be activated.

He was excellent during his time in the minor leagues, making seven appearances and throwing seven innings with a 2.57 ERA.

With so many players on the move ahead of the trade deadline, Ribalta was one of the players recalled to the Big Leagues with a golden opportunity to prove himself again.

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On Aug. 2, he took a Major League mound for the first time since April 8 and had a very successful return.

Ribalta pitched one inning against the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, recording one strikeout without surrendering a hit or walk.

The most impressive part about his return was that he is showcasing some much-improved velocity.

As shared by Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post on X, Ribalta was lighting up the radar gun on Saturday, reaching as high as 97.5 mph.

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