Nationals' Cole Henry: Sent to Triple-A

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.