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Nationals Reveal Their Hope for MacKenzie Gore As He Recovers From Shoulder Injury

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The bright spots for the Washington Nationals this season have been few and far between.

For a team filled with young players seemingly on the verge of taking that next step, what has transpired this year has caused even the most ravenous in the fanbase to feel a bit disappointed regarding the future of this franchise.

But there are building blocks in place on the major league roster. And one of them happens to be the ace of their starting rotation in 26-year-old MacKenzie Gore, who put together a breakout season with his first All-Star Game selection and the highest K/9 rate of his career while simultaneously having the lowest BB/9 rate of his career.

Unfortunately, the Nationals had to put the left-hander on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation, a disappointing development at this stage of the campaign but one that could be a whole lot worse considering the types of injuries their other pitchers have suffered.

It stands to reason that Washington will be careful with their best pitcher for the rest of the year, especially considering they have little chance of making the playoffs despite winning their first three games of September.

Nationals Hope MacKenzie Gore Returns To Mound This Season

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However, a full shutdown doesn't seem to be coming, though. Gore played catch on Tuesday just four days after he was placed on the IL, a good sign that he is progressing in his recovery and won't have an extended absence.

And according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN, that is a good thing since the Nationals "hope to have him back on the mound before season's end."

Whether that's smart or not is a whole different argument. Gore has been the lone positive in this rotation, so making sure he is 100% healthy and not risking further injury that will cause him to miss any time in 2026 due to this current shoulder issue should be the priority. But getting him back on the mound so he can further develop is also important.

Because if Washington is going to take the next step and play meaningful games in October where they are competing for a World Series championship once again, they'll need Gore to be at his best even after a long season, something that hasn't been the case this year.

Prior to the All-Star break, he had a 3.09 ERA across 19 starts, striking out 138 batters in 110 1/3 innings pitched. But after the Midsummer Classic, his ERA has ballooned to 7.54 across eight starts where he's fanned only 35 batters in 37 innings pitched while walking 20.

Some of that could have to do with his shoulder inflammation. But for Gore to truly be a No. 1 in this league, he has to keep his top-end form over the course of a full season, something the team hopes to see when he is activated off the injured list.