Nationals Roster: Keibert Ruiz is being overplayed

Keibert Ruiz’s sky high workload is impacting his performance levels

Tonight, Keibert Ruiz will be batting seventh and catching. Ruiz being behind the plate has become a foregone conclusion at this point. To start the season, Davey Martinez has leaned heavily on his starting catcher. It seems like that is beginning to backfire.

To start the season, Ruiz was red hot. In his first 15 games, Keibert hit .364 with a .935 OPS. The Nats young catcher looked great, showing off his contact skills, as well as some extra base impact. His defense also looked improved, with Ruiz controlling the running game better than he had ever before.

However, his workload is beginning to catch up with him. Ruiz will make his 27th start behind the plate in 31 games. That is the most in all of baseball. We are seeing the effects of that on both sides of the ball. However, Davey keeps playing Ruiz everyday, regularly mentioning that the catcher is adamant about playing.

The manager should not blindly believe a player when they say they are good to go. Most players want to compete and play every day. It is the job of the manager to reel the player back in and give him a day off for the good of the team. The MLB season is a 162 game grind and catcher is the most physically demanding position.

In his last 15 games, Ruiz has fallen off offensively, with a .621 OPS. Yes, he is hitting .281, but it is an empty .281 with not many extra base hits or walks. The fact he is not a threat on the bases makes that solid batting average even more hollow.

However, I think we have seen even more defensive regression from him lately. A lot of that looks like it is coming from fatigue. His blocking has not been on point at all lately. Ruiz already has -5 blocks above average for the season. For reference, he was at a -2 for all of 2024. Ruiz’s framing is also in the bottom 1% of all MLB catchers.

As we saw with his inability to put down a game winning tag last night, his concentration is not where it needs to be. Honestly, I do not blame him. Catching nearly 90% of your teams games wears you down. It is something only elite guys like Yadier Molina can pull off. This falls on Davey Martinez for not having the feel to manage his catcher’s workload in year 8 on the job.

Martinez should know not to throw guys three nights in a row and not run his catcher into the ground by now, but it seems like he has still not learned those things in year 8. It is frustrating to see a player so obviously misused and seeing it effect his play so clearly.

Obviously Ruiz is going to be the teams starter and will get the lions share of the reps. However, you have to find a balance. Giving Keibert a few more nights off will help him and it will also help backup Riley Adams get going.

Keibert Ruiz should not be catching 87% of his teams games. There are not many catchers who can do that and thrive. The position is too physically demanding and the wear and tear becomes too much. Keibert Ruiz is a competitor and wants to play every day. However, it is Davey Martinez’s job to manage his catcher and not totally believe him when he says he is good to go. The results are telling us that Keibert Ruiz is not good to go and needs a rest.