Talent has never been the problem for Cole Henry. He was highly touted in high school, before deciding to take his talents to LSU. After a successful career in the bayou, Henry became a second round pick for the Nationals back in 2020.
However, he has been plagued with injuries his entire tenure in the Nats organization. Since being drafted in 2020, he has only thrown 128.1 innings. Granted, he has been good when he is available, posting a 3.30 ERA with 158 strikeouts and a .191 batting average against. However, he simply has not been on the mound enough.
Henry had multiple elbow injuries in 2021 and 2022, but the crushing blow came when he had to undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. TOS is one of the worst injuries a pitcher can have. It is what ended the career of Stephen Strasburg and derailed Matt Harvey’s career. However, Henry is trying to beat the odds and come back.
After a lat injury derailed Henry’s 2024 season, the Nats are now moving him to the bullpen. It is a smart move that will allow his stuff to play up and will hopefully keep him healthy. So far, the move has been paying dividends.
This spring Henry has made three appearances that have lasted 4.2 innings. In those innings, he has struck out nine and has walked nobody. Henry’s stuff looks really good, with his fastball sitting in the 95-96 MPH range.
Since he is on the 40 man roster, Henry will have an outside chance to make the team with good spring. Henry could provide value as a reliever who can throw multiple innings. When healthy, Cole Henry can be a dynamic arm, but health is a massive x-factor.
If Cole Henry can carve out a successful career in the bullpen, it would truly be a wonderful story for a guy who has had to deal with so much. TOS is often a death sentence of pitchers careers, but Henry still looks like he has the high octane stuff that made him a top prospect. The fact he is throwing strikes is also massively promising. He had struggled finding the zone in his limited stints over he past couple years.
Stuff has never been the question for Cole Henry. If he can find a way to stay healthy and throw strikes, he will find a role on this team. The indicators for that are very positive so far this spring.