The Washington Nationals reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday. Ruiz landed on the injured list last week with influenza. Barring any setbacks, Ruiz should be ready to return to the Nats lineup at some point later this week. Until then, Riley Adams and Drew Millas figure to split up the playing time behind the plate.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) has finally moved past the worst of his case of influenza, which first began afflicting him 13 days ago and eventually forced him to the 10-day injured list. He described himself as "90 percent" better now and has been able to start some baseball activities -- hitting off a pitching machine, participating in some defensive drills and doing some light weight lifting. He was set to begin running before Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. The 25-year-old lost 18-20 pounds. Ruiz could be activated before Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the team seems inclined to have him go on a short minor-league rehab assignment first, likely with Double-A Harrisburg. Ruiz was hitting just .194 (6-for-31) with a homer and three RBI before getting sick.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Friday's game versus the Houston Astros that catcher Keibert Ruiz (influenza) is feeling a lot better after he recently played catch and took batting practice. Martinez said the backstop lost 20 pounds while battling the flu, so Ruiz still needs to build his strength back up. With that said, he's eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as early as Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers and seems unlikely to need a minor-league rehab assignment before getting back behind the dish for the Nats. The 26-year-old former top prospect was off to a sluggish start, however, batting .194 (6-for-31) with one home run and three RBI over eight games. Riley Adams will get the bulk of the catching work in DC in the interim and is worth a look for fantasy managers in deep two-catcher leagues, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and five RBI in 10 outings this year.

The Washington Nationals placed catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 12) with the flu on Monday and recalled catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. The team also recalled left-hander Mitchell Parker from Rochester. Ruiz has been under the weather of late and hasn't appeared in a game since April 8. It's tough for a player to go on the IL due to an illness, but the 25-year-old backstop should be able to return when he's eligible. In addition to his illness, Ruiz has been cold at the plate in the early going, picking up six hits in his first 31 at-bats, including a homer, three RBI and five strikeouts. For as long as Ruiz is on the shelf, Riley Adams will operate as Washington's primary catcher, with Millas backing him up.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) is unlikely to play during Monday's game, according to manager Dave Martinez. Ruiz has missed each of the last five games due to an illness. The organization has not placed Ruiz on the injured list and still considers the catcher as day-to-day. Drew Millas has been recalled from Triple-A to provide some catching depth in the absence of Ruiz.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) remains out of the Nationals lineup for the fourth straight day as he continues to battle an illness. The 25-year-old should not see a stint on the IL and remains day-to-day. Riley Adams will serve as the catcher and make his sixth start of the season. He will be batting in the eight-hole and will face Athletics pitcher Joe Boyle. Adams enters Saturday's game with a .278 AVG, one long ball, and four RBI, making him a sneaky play in the DFS as Joey Boyle is riding an 8.22 ERA and 2.22 WHIP.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Ruiz is set to miss his third game in a row due to an illness. The good news is that this shouldn't be something that lands Ruiz on the injured list. In the meantime, Riley Adams will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Paul Blackburn on Friday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming choice than Adams for Friday's slate.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses are not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants. It's the second straight day that Ruiz has been on the bench, and the Nats also called up catcher Drew Millas, so don't be surprised if an injury pops up for the 25-year-old. Millas is behind the dish and batting eighth, while Jesse Winker is serving as the DH and batting third and Joey Gallo is at first base and hitting cleanup against Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks. In addition to a potential injury bothering Ruiz, he's gone just 6-for-31 (.194) in the early going with a homer and three RBI. Meneses is also off to a slow start, going 8-for-42 (.190) with no homers and 13 strikeouts in his first 11 games in 2024.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz will get the day off on Thursday as the team takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. With Ruiz on the bench, Riley Adams is getting the start behind the dish to catch right-hander Josiah Gray while batting fifth against Pirates left-hander Martin Perez. Adams has just one career at-bat against Perez and does not have a hit. Ruiz has gotten off to a nice start for the Nationals in 2024 through five games played, going 6-for-20 (.300) with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in 21 plate appearances. Fantasy managers playing in DFS contests looking for a cheap catching option could do worse than Adams in the five-hole against a very hittable pitcher in Perez.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz had a solid day at the plate as part of his team's 9-3 Grapefruit League win over the Miami Marlins. He scored a run in the fourth inning before collecting an RBI double and scoring again in the fifth. The 25-year-old backstop is now 4-for-13 (.308) on the spring, although Wednesday's double is his lone extra-base knock across 15 trips to the plate. Ruiz hit .260 with a healthy 18 home runs and 67 RBI across 136 games with the Nats in 2023 but his overall production was hurt due to a subpar 5.5% BB%, even if accompanied by an elite 10.3% K%. ATC is projecting 15 long balls for Ruiz in his age-25 season, although he will need to earn more free passes to help fantasy managers in OPS leagues.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) and catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) were both scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League lineup due to illnesses. Senzel has been sick now for a few days, and Ruiz may have caught the same bug. Both players should be able to return to the lineup in a few days at spring training and will be fine for Opening Day in late March. Senzel, a former first-rounder, flamed out in Cincinnati, mostly due to injuries. The 28-year-old is expected to try and stick as Washington's primary third baseman in 2024, and his power/speed combination makes him worth a bench spot in deep-mixed leagues if he wins the job. Ruiz, 25, has gone 1-for-4 in his two Grapefruit League games so far. He's not an elite fantasy catcher, but he has a strong floor due to his status as the Nats' starting catcher.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was busy on Friday night in the team's 10-6 win over the Braves in Atlanta. Ruiz finished the contest 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI and three runs scored out of the cleanup spot for Washington. Ruiz is now on a modest five-game hitting streak and has gone 20-for-84 (.238) with a home run, three doubles, seven RBI and seven runs scored in 21 games (20 starts) in the final month of the season in September. The 25-year-old backstop is hitting nearly .300 since the All-Star break and has had his most productive big-league season by far in 2023, hitting .254 (129-for-508) with career-highs in homers (17), RBI (62) and runs scored (50) in 133 games.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (head) is back behind the dish doing the catching and is batting cleanup for the Nats on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Kevin Gausman. A foul tip to Ruiz's mask last week caused him to get light-headed, and he missed two of the three games over the weekend after returning to action on Friday night. Monday's game will be the first time that the 25-year-old has resumed catching duties, so it sounds like he's feeling better. Ruiz has been swinging a hot bat in the month of August to this point, so fantasy managers will hope he won't miss a beat at the plate. In 21 games (19 starts) since Aug. 1, he's gone 26-for-75 (.347) with four home runs, five doubles, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (head) is out of the starting lineup for the second straight day on Sunday in the series finale against the Miami Marlins. Ruiz missed a game earlier this week due to light-headedness after taking a foul tip off his catcher's mask. He returned to action and went 2-for-5 on Friday, but he'll now miss a second straight game and could still be a bit foggy. Riley Adams is doing the catching on Sunday and will hit seventh against Marlins right-hander JT Chargois. Check back to see if Ruiz is back in the lineup on Monday for the start of a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 25-year-old backstop is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, going 5-for-16 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (head) is back in the lineup as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup on Friday against Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett. Riley Adams will do the catching and bat seventh. The Nationals scratched Ruiz due to light-headedness in Thursday's series finale against the New York Yankees after he took a foul tip off his mask on Wednesday. The 25-year-old backstop appears to have avoided a concussion, though, and he'll be back in action this weekend for a series against the Fish. Fantasy managers will want to get him back into their lineups, as Ruiz has been on fire at the plate this month, going 23-for-69 (.333) with four home runs, five doubles, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored in 19 games (18 starts).

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was scratched from Thursday's starting lineup against the New York Yankees after feeling light-headed. Ruiz took a foul tip off his mask in Wednesday's game, so he could be dealing with concussion symptoms. With Ruiz out, Riley Adams will do the catching and hit seventh against Yankees right-hander Michael King. Head injuries are pretty sensitive, so fantasy managers need to be prepared for the possibility that Ruiz will need to go on the injured list soon. The 25-year-old backstop has produced a career-high 15 home runs in 2023 and is also batting .258/.314/.417 with 19 doubles, 51 RBI and 41 runs scored in 439 plate appearances and 106 games.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is not in the starting lineup on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The 25-year-old is getting a routine day off for this one. Ruiz has been crushing it at the dish over his last 15 games, slashing .352/.444/.648 with four home runs and 10 RBI over 54 at-bats. Riley Adams is filling in behind the plate against left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies. Ruiz should be back out there for Sunday's series finale.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. The Nats will give Ruiz a break after he went 1-for-9 with three strikeouts over the last two games. The 24-year-old is slashing .225/.279/.360 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 70 games this season. Riley Adams will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus lefty Cody Bradford for Friday's game.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the team's 5-3 loss against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Ruiz has now picked up multiple hits in three of his last six games, although he's gone hitless in the other three contests. He's hitting .250 (13-for-52) with a homer, three doubles, four RBI and three runs scored in 13 games in the month of June. The 24-year-old is slashing .240/.300/.389 on the season with a career-high eight home runs, 10 doubles, 27 RBI and 20 runs scored in 250 plate appearances over 60 games. Whether it be behind the plate or as the designated hitter like on Thursday, Ruiz is playing nearly every day for the Nationals in 2023.