The Nationals activated Henry (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
Henry has been out since mid-April with a right rotator cuff strain. He yielded two runs (one earned) with a 4:1 K:BB over five rehab innings with Triple-A Rochester and averaged 94.1 mph with his four-seamer, which is up a bit from his 93.7 mph average before he got hurt. Henry could work his way into high-leverage spots in the Nationals' bullpen, but he will likely pitch in middle relief initially.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Kicking off rehab assignment
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Henry (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester this weekend, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Henry is ready to pitch in games again after missing more than a month with a right rotator cuff strain. He will likely require at least a few rehab outings before rejoining the Nationals' bullpen, which could happen before the end of May if all goes well.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Begins throwing
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Henry (shoulder) played catch Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Saturday marks the first time Henry has done any sort of throwing since he landed on the injured list Monday with a right rotator cuff strain. He said afterward that he felt good while throwing and remains optimistic that his stay on the injured list will be brief.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Shelved with rotator cuff strain
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Henry on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a right rotator cuff strain.
Henry may have been pitching through the injury during his most recent appearance in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Brewers. He spotted just four of his 12 pitches on the afternoon for strikes and failed to retire either batter he faced while serving up a game-tying three-run home run to Gary Sanchez. According to Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com, manager Blake Butera said an MRI on Henry's shoulder revealed "nothing too serious," though it's unclear when the right-hander might be ready to resume throwing.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Not in high-leverage mix
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Henry gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning during Monday's win over the Phillies. He struck out one.
The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals cruising to a 13-2 rout. Henry's made two appearances so far, and both came in blowouts -- he also delivered a scoreless inning in Saturday's 10-2 loss to the Cubs. Henry was viewed as potentially part of the closing picture coming into the season alongside Clayton Beeter, but his early usage suggests he's a long way from a high-leverage role.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Wrapping up solid spring
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Henry has posted a 3.86 ERA and 6:3 K:BB over 4.2 Grapefruit League innings this spring.
The 26-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut in 2025, producing a 4.27 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 52:32 K:BB over 52.2 innings. Despite those pedestrian numbers, Henry is expected to fill a high-leverage role in the Nationals' bullpen to begin the 2026 campaign, although he appears to be behind Clayton Beeter in the pecking order for save chances.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Might get save chances
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Henry could be part of the ninth-inning mix for the Nationals with Kyle Finnegan having been traded to the Tigers, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The 26-year-old rookie right-hander hasn't been particularly impressive this season, leaning on his mid-90s four-seam fastball and low-80s curve to post a 3.96 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 37:20 K:BB over 38.2 innings. No one in Washington's big-league 'pen has closer-worthy numbers though, so Henry might get a shot as part of a ninth-inning committee with lefty Jose Ferrer and righty Zach Brzykcy.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Collects third hold
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Henry gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless fifth inning Monday to record his third hold of the season in a win over the Reds.
Starter Jake Irvin didn't make it out of the fourth inning, and Henry was one of six Nationals relievers to take the mound in a wild 10-8 victory. The 26-year-old righty has been effective in his first big-league season, posting a 3.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 35:18 K:BB over 36 innings, and if closer Kyle Finnegan gets shipped out at the trade deadline, Henry could get an audition in the ninth inning down the stretch.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Nationals optioned Henry to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
The right-hander missed the entire second half of the 2024 campaign due to a lat injury and has transitioned to long relief for 2025. Henry made five starts for Double-A Harrisburg last year prior to the injury and had a 3.95 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB across 13.2 innings.
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Nationals' Cole Henry: Sidelined at Double-A
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Double-A Harrisburg placed Henry on its 7-day injured list May 9 with an unspecified injury.
Harrisburg deactivated Henry a week after he gave up three runs over a three-inning start versus Altoona on May 2. The 24-year-old right-hander was protected from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter and possesses a spot on the Nationals' 40-man roster, but he doesn't appear especially close to making his MLB debut. Henry turned in a 3.95 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB in 13.2 innings across his five starts for Harrisburg prior to landing on the IL.
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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: 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
Rotowire
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: 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: 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.
