The Nationals optioned Henry to Triple-A Rochester on Monday.
Henry was added to the Nationals' 40-man roster this winter, but that move was made primarily to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft rather than being an acknowledgement that the 24-year-old right-hander is big-league ready. He looks like he'll at least get his first taste of the Triple-A level to begin the 2024 season, despite posting an ugly 10.31 ERA and 1.99 WHIP across 18.1 innings at Double-A Harrisburg in 2023. The Nationals are hopeful that he'll be able to resolve some of the command and control woes that plagued him at Double-A now that he's nearly 19 months removed from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in August 2022.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Selected to 40-man roster
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The Nationals selected Henry to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Henry missed a lot of time between the 2022-23 seasons while recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, but he's healthy now and will try to make his way back up the Nats' organizational prospect rankings in 2024. Being added to the 40-man roster means he'll be protected from selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Activated from MiLB IL
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Henry (shoulder) was activated from the minor-league injured list Tuesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Henry will join the starting rotation at Double-A Harrisburg after completing his rehabilitation from August 2022 thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. The 23-year-old did a four-start rehab run with Low-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington and posted an encouraging 1.20 ERA and 16:3 K:BB over 15 innings. He should eventually rise back to Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Level jump on rehab
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Henry (shoulder) had his rehab assignment transferred Tuesday to High-A Wilmington, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Henry racked up 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings during his two-start stay with Single-A Fredericksburg, the latest of those outings coming Sunday. His third rehab start, and first with Wilmington, lines up for this weekend. The talented 23-year-old is on the road back from thoracic outlet surgery and should eventually settle into the regular rotation at Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Successful first rehab start
Rotowire
Henry (shoulder) struck out five over three scoreless innings in his first rehab start for Single-A Fredericksburg on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old righty has success under his belt at Double-A in 2022 and reached as high as Triple-A, so he should be expected to carve up a Single-A lineup. Nonetheless, thoracic outlet syndrome can ruin careers, so it's encouraging that his recovery has gone well thus far. He should head to the Triple-A Rochester rotation once he completes his rehab assignment in a week or two.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Opens season on shelf
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Triple-A Rochester placed Henry (shoulder) on the 7-day injured list Friday.
Henry appears to be progressing well in his recovery from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent last August, as he was cleared to resume facing hitters just over a month ago. The right-hander still likely requires some additional time to ramp back up fully, but once he's ready for game action, he should settle into a spot in the Rochester rotation.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Facing live hitters Tuesday
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Henry (shoulder) is facing live hitters Tuesday in Nationals camp, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports.
It's his first time facing live hitters since he required surgery last August for thoracic outlet syndrome. Henry has made a fairly swift and promising recovery up to this point, but the talented 23-year-old right-hander still has a lot of hurdles to clear. He had a pre-injury career minor-league ERA of 2.06.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Recovery going well
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Henry is pleased with the progress he's made in his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery last August, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
"Almost there," Henry said after a late January bullpen session. The Nationals are optimistic the 23-year-old right-hander will have better luck regaining his pre-injury form than many of the veteran pitchers who have undergone the procedure, due to the fact he had no surgeries or significant wear and tear beforehand. "It's more relieving than concerning," Mike Rizzo, the Nationals' general manager, said of the prospect's diagnosis and surgery. "There are no miles on his arm. I think that's the issue you see with [Stephen Strasburg, who underwent the procedure last July]. Stras had a lot of trauma to his arm and that side of his body, and I'm hoping that because [Henry] is clean everywhere else, he can bounce back from this and be one of the success stories of this surgery." Until Henry gets back on a mound and shows he still has the stuff that made him a second-round pick out of LSU in 2020, however, his baseball future remains murky.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Getting thoracic outlet surgery
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Henry (shoulder) is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Aug. 28 to address thoracic outlet syndrome, Grant Paulsen of 106-7 The Fan Washington reports.
After getting a promotion from Double-A Harrisburg on June, Henry made just two starts for Triple-A Rochester before he was shut down two months ago due to tenderness in his right shoulder. Subsequent tests have revealed that Henry is dealing with a condition that can derail pitchers' careers, and he'll soon have the same procedure that recently kept Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg out of game action for nearly 10 months. For the moment, the Nationals are optimistic that Henry will be cleared for spring, but even if that comes to fruition, expect him to be built up slowly to begin the 2023 season.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Nursing shoulder issue
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Henry, who was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, is dealing with tenderness in his right shoulder, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Henry surrendered four runs over three innings during his last start June 11, though it's unclear when the shoulder issue first surfaced. The 22-year-old will spend at least a week on the minor-league injured list, though it's unclear if he's expected to miss any time beyond the minumum.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Lands on IL
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Henry was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list with an undisclosed injury Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Henry has made two starts since being promoted to Triple-A Rochester and has posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in eight innings. He hasn't pitched since June 11, and it's not yet clear how long he'll be sidelined after being placed on the IL.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Promoted to Triple-A
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Henry was promoted from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Henry was dominant in Harrisburg early in 2022, posting a 0.76 ERA and 0.60 WHIP in 23.2 innings over seven starts. After missing time last year due to elbow soreness, the team appeared to be managing his workload in 2022 since he didn't last longer than four innings in any of his Double-A starts. However, the righty will still be rewarded with a promotion to the Triple-A level. The 22-year-old has responded well to improved competition over the last few years, and it's possible he's in the mix to join the Nationals late in 2022 or sometime in 2023.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Dominant at Double-A
Rotowire
Henry walked one and struck out five over three scoreless, no-hit innings for Double-A Harrisburg on Friday against Reading.
The 22-year-old has been pulled after three innings in all three of his starts this season as the Nationals limit his workload, but Henry has been dominant in his nine innings as he has yet to give up a run while posting a 12:2 K:BB. A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Henry has drawn Mike Mussina comparisons for his high-90s fastball and potentially plus curve, but after he pitched only 47 innings last year due to elbow soreness, Washington seems focused primarily on keeping him healthy with an eye on a possible big-league debut in 2023.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Makes return to High-A
Rotowire
Henry (elbow) returned from the 7-day injured list and worked four scoreless innings in his appearance Sunday for High-A Wilmington. He worked around two hits and a walk while striking out six en route to gathering the win.
Henry was cleared to make his first appearance for Wilmington since May 30 after completing a two-start rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. The Nationals deployed him as a piggyback starter behind rehabbing Nationals pitcher Steven Fuentes (shoulder), but Henry should work in a traditional starting role for Wilmington the next time his turn in the rotation comes up. Over 28 innings on the season at High-A, Henry has posted a 2.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 41:9 K:BB.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Out with elbow soreness
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Henry has not pitched since May 30 due to elbow soreness, Todd Dybas of Inside the Clubhouse reports.
Henry impressed through five starts at High-A Wilmington to start out the year, logging a 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB in 24 innings. However, the fact that he has been sidelined for over six weeks with elbow soreness is ominous.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Dominant in first pro win
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Henry allowed only one hit over six scoreless innings for High-A Wilmington on Thursday to pick up his first professional win. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.
A second-round pick in 2020, Henry is actually the No. 3 starter for Wilmington to begin the year behind Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge in one of the most stacked rotations in the minors, but the 21-year-old LSU product looked every bit the match for his more heralded teammates in only his second pro start. Henry has a 16:2 K:BB through his first 11 innings, and he's well on his way to forcing a promotion to Double-A sometime this summer.
