MILWAUKEE – Left-hander Ken Waldichuk was diagnosed with left forearm tightness after leaving Sunday’s 8-6 win over the Brewers in the seventh inning. He was placed on the 15-day IL on Monday.
Waldichuk, 28, has battled through a lengthy injury history. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024, and he did not pitch in the 2024 or 2025 seasons.
With a 1-0 count against Brice Turang, Waldichuk bounced a pitch in front of the plate. He immediately expressed discomfort and pointed to his inner left elbow during a medical mound visit. He exited the game after that.
“There’s definitely some concern,” manager Blake Butera said shortly after Sunday’s game. “Any time somebody goes to their forearm and comes out of the game, it’s usually pretty scary. Just before I say anything, I want to have some time to take a look at him and figure out what it is.”
The Nationals claimed Waldichuk off waivers from the Rays in February. They saw promise in the 2019 fifth-round pick and the A’s former top overall pitching prospect. He made the Opening Day roster and entered Sunday having pitched 7 2/3 innings with a 7.04 ERA in four relief appearances.
“You never want to see that,” said starter Zack Littell. “He’s a guy that’s got a lot of upside. We saw him in Spring Training having dominance. You obviously want a guy like that healthy. But whoever it is, it’s just never fun to see that happen.”
Butera called on Cole Henry, PJ Poulin and Gus Varland to close out Sunday’s game. The bullpen banded together to pitch for Waldichuk.
“Nobody wants to see that happen,” said Varland, who earned his first career save. “He’s my guy, and to see him go down like that, it sucks. Especially being a pitcher, especially going through something that happened like that earlier in my career, it stinks. But I’m glad we rallied and got the win.”
The Nationals’ bullpen suffered another setback, though, on Monday, when Henry was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain and placed on the 15-day IL. Henry, who fought back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in seven innings of work this season.
The Nats recalled right-handers Orlando Ribalta and Jackson Rutledge from Triple-A Rochester in corresponding moves.