Nationals Shake Up Catchers Spot with Flurry of Roster Moves

Stubbs was a bit of a surprising call-up for Washington. A 10th round pick in the 2019 draft by the Houston Astros, the backstop is a glove first type of catcher. In 66 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Stubbs slashed .148/.279/.240 with a .519 OPS and three home runs.

Though he was never expected to mash, his defensive metrics were good enough to earn the call to catch his fellow rookie. He even managed to steal a controversial strike that resulted in an ejection of the batter.

The 28-year-old's first big league stint was quick, but memorable. He was the first catcher to catch a shutout in his debut in Nationals' history, something he will always be in the record books for.

According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post, Stubbs was sent to Triple-A in the corresponding move for Alfaro.

Given the fact that Washington signed Alfaro so quickly after, it might have been the plan all along to have Stubbs catch the one game.

Keibert Ruiz To Begin His Rehab Assignment

Ruiz was one of the headliners in the deal that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2021. Since that deal, Ruiz has been Washington's starting catcher.

He really took over the job in 2022, where he had a .673 OPS in 112 games before having a bit of a breakout in 2023. That season, he set career highs in home runs (18), RBIs (67) and OPS (.717).

His OPS regressed nearly 100 points in 2024 before struggling mightily at the plate this season. Before hitting the injured list, Ruiz's OPS was all the way down to .595.

The 27-year-old was placed in the 7-day IL on July 8, retroactive to July 6 with a concussion. Clealry, it has been severe enough that he's had to miss nearly two months. However, Nusbaum also reported on Tuesday that Ruiz would begin his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg.

Ruiz beginning his rehab puts the Nationals in a curious spot. Not only has he not hit, but he's also a below average defender with a Blocks Above Average mark in the 20th percentile and Caught Stealing Above Average in just the third percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

With Alfaro coming in, RIley Adams showing quite a bit of power before hitting the IL and Drew Milas even hitting .306 in his 18 games, Washington has choices to make regarding the future at catcher.

Despite his poor play in nearly every aspect, would the Nationals continue to trot him out there? Do they feel they have to, given what they gave up for him? Or is now the time to move on with everything else they've seen?

Time will tell not only with Alfaro's play the rest of the season, but with how well the rehab assignment goes for Ruiz.