The Nationals announced today that right-hander Orlando Ribalta has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 4, with right forearm inflammation. Fellow righty Yovanny Cruz has been recalled in a corresponding move.
It’s unclear how serious Ribalta’s injury is. At this point of the calendar, any IL stint could be season-ending. The Nats also have motivation to be cautious. They flirted with contention in the summer but sold at the deadline and are now 9.5 games out of a playoff spot. It makes sense to prioritize the future since this isn’t going to be their year.
Ribalta has emerged as a viable big league reliever this year. He came into 2026 with 27 2/3 innings under his belt and an unimpressive 7.81 earned run average in those frames. This year, he has thrown 43 innings with a 3.77 ERA. His 23.6% strikeout rate is better than average, while his 10.6% walk rate and 39.3% ground ball rate are close to par.
He will finish this year just shy of two years of service time. That means he will still be pre-arbitration and can be controlled for another five seasons. He will also still have an option remaining. Ideally, he will take another step forward next season. If the Nats are still in evaluation mode in 2027, they would be in position to give him some runway.
For now, Cruz will step up and get some more big league time. Acquired from the Yankees in the Luis García Jr. trade, this is his debut season. Between the Yanks and Nats, Cruz has thrown 9 1/3 innings in the majors so far, allowing six earned runs. He has elite velocity, averaging 99.8 miles per hour on his fastball so far. Like many pitchers with that kind of gas, control is an issue, with Cruz posting a 14.2% walk rate in the minors dating back to the start of last season.
He could get some more major league chances before the winter comes. But he also has options and the Nats are going to do a bullpen game tomorrow, so he might get sent back to the farm if fresh arms are needed.
As for Connelly Early, he might get a chance to make his team debut before the season is out. He was acquired from the Red Sox earlier this year for Curtis Mead but was on the IL at the time due to left elbow inflammation. Per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Early will pitch in a Bridge League game tomorrow. With only three weeks left in the season, Early won’t have time to get fully stretched out but perhaps he can make a relief appearance or two before the offseason arrives, just so that he and the team can erase any lingering concerns about his arm.
Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images
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