Rutledge follows Henry as second Nats starter to move to 'pen this spring

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Nationals drafted Jackson Rutledge as a starter with the 17th overall pick in 2019. This spring, they’ve tasked the 6-foot-8 right-hander with shifting to a reliever role.

“[They] came to me and said, ‘We feel like you have an opportunity to make an impact on the team out of the bullpen,’” said Rutledge, who will turn 26 on April 1. “And that's what I'm here for. I thought it was exciting. I feel like I’m making improvements so far, trying to figure out how to get ready in the ‘pen, how to go day to day, and things feel really good so far.”

Rutledge, who debuted on Sept. 13, 2023, has made five starts at the big league level. He’s 1-1 with a 6.20 ERA across 24 2/3 innings with the Nats. He spent the majority of last season in Triple-A Rochester, where he went 4-9 with a 6.40 ERA in 27 starts.

Rutledge has thrown eight innings in five relief appearances with a 5.63 ERA in Grapefruit League action.

"I think at this point, it was more or less looking at his stuff and where we can get the most out of [it],” said manager Dave Martinez. “He comes in the game now and he's 96, 97 [mph]. You don't see the 92, 93 [mph] because he knows, ‘You’ve got one job to do: it’s to get that one guy out and go move on to the next guy.’ There's no saving for later innings.

“You need to go out there and just, as I always tell all the bullpen guys, shut down an inning. And he's been doing that. I've seen cutters better, fastball at 96 [mph] consistently. So I think it's definitely going to help him. I think we feel like, in the long run, we could definitely use him in the bullpen."

Rutledge tallied a career-high 122 1/3 frames last year on the Red Wings. Now, he doesn’t have to pace himself the same way. Rutledge said he didn’t get sore between starts in the past, and he feels like he could pitch back-to-back days in relief.

“No need to conserve energy,” Rutledge said. “[I] just kind of get out there and let it rip. Facing lefties I can spam cutters, and facing righties I can spam sinkers. I don't have to be quite as strategic and just use a sledgehammer.”

The Nats selected Rutledge from San Jacinto College, where he was a standout starter and 2019 Golden Spikes Award nominee. He was ranked as high as No. 2 on the Nationals’ prospect list by MLB Pipeline in ‘21, and the club added him to the 40-man roster in ‘22.

“We need bullpen arms,” said Rutledge. “They’re really important to winning games a lot of times, even more important sometimes than a starter. I feel like if I can be a guy that keeps us in a lot of games, can pitch long innings, pitch short innings, whatever it may be, I feel like I can help the team get a bunch of wins this year.”

Rutledge has been turning to the Nationals coaching staff and veteran relievers for tips on the day to day maintenance, such as weight lifting and treatment. He also is adapting to warming up on 12 pitches in the bullpen versus a full start day routine.

“I am just naturally incredibly rigid in my routines and I'm very structured,” said Rutledge. “So I think this is genuinely like an unanswered prayer of how to learn how to be fluid, how to learn how to be more relaxed. It’s working so far. I'm sure there’s going to be times where it's going to be difficult, but just kind of sticking with, ‘I’ve got to adjust because I have to,’ and that's just part of the role.”

The Nationals also moved right-hander Cole Henry to the bullpen this spring. Henry, a 2020 second-round Draft pick out of LSU, underwent thoracic outlet surgery in ‘22. He threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to no walks before being optioned to Triple-A last Friday.

"It definitely can help us,” Martinez said of those moves. “Especially in that multiple innings role.”