After long road derailed by injuries, Henry finally debuts out of 'pen

About 2 ½ years ago, Cole Henry’s career in professional baseball faced a major setback. After thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August 2022, the idea of him pitching again came into serious question. And his chances of making the major leagues with the Nationals were slim-to-none.

But the right-hander continued to work his way back, trying to overcome a procedure that had consumed the careers of Stephen Strasburg, Will Harris, Matt Harvey and others.

One thing Henry had going for him was his age. He was only 23 when he had the surgery, so he had more time to recover his body, which hadn’t yet been worn down by numerous professional seasons. That also meant, however, he had a whole career ahead of him that could possibly be taken away before it ever really started.

Henry wouldn’t let it.

After years of rehab and carefully planned pitching schedules, Henry finally got the call to the majors this past weekend and made his big league debut Sunday against the Marlins.

“Just a whirlwind of emotions, obviously. It was awesome,” Henry said Sunday in Miami. “I had a lot of people here today that made the quick trip down on very short notice. That meant everything to me, just having everybody here, my family. Those are people that I wouldn't be here without.”

Henry recorded two strikeouts in his one inning of work late in the Nats’ loss to the Fish. That one inning made the 51 ⅔ he pitched over the three minor league seasons following his surgery worth it. But it all happened so fast this weekend, he barely had time to soak it all in.

“It definitely hasn't set in yet,” he said. “Just one of those things where I think it's gonna take a few days. But it's just incredible. Always something you dream about, obviously. So just trying to soak in every moment and loving it so far.”

“He was quiet, as he always is,” manager Davey Martinez said. “The emotional guys were me, (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, (pitching strategist Sean Doolittle) who have been watching him throughout his whole career. And the fact that he got to pitch in a big league ballgame today, and pitch really well, he struck out two guys in an inning, is awesome. He worked really hard to get back. I know he had some injuries. And he threw the ball really well today. We're glad to see that he went out there and he was able to get three outs for us.”

The Nationals sent the call to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday night, with right-hander Orlando Ribalta scheduled to have an MRI on his arm Sunday morning. While Henry was on his way from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Nats placed Ribalta on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 10) with a right biceps strain and officially recalled the former second-round pick out of LSU.

Henry had a locker in the Nats clubhouse at loanDepot park, but he didn’t arrive until less than an hour before the game started. His friends and family also had to make a mad dash to South Beach.

“I left 15 tickets, but I think we had some more,” Henry said with a laugh. “My wife's family, my family, friends, some teammates from West Palm that are rehabbing right now came down to support. So a lot of people that mean a whole lot to me.”

Luckily, they all made it in time, because just a few short hours after he walked into a major league clubhouse for the first time, Henry was also pitching in a big league game for the first time.

“It was kind of a quick-hitter, so I didn't really have time to get nervous I don't think,” he said. “It was just get ready and go. And I think I liked it better that way. It was cool to get out there. Obviously, you just feel like you're floating. It's just a really cool experience and something I'll never forget.”

“Really good. It was awesome,” Martinez said. “I wanted to get him out there. We got him up. He had that heart rate going a little bit. But he threw the ball really well. That was awesome to see.”

Henry threw the ball well enough to get a couple of keepsakes from his debut: His first pitch (a 79 mph curveball in the zone for a called strike) and his first strikeout (a high 95 mph fastball to D.C. area native Matt Mervis). Both baseballs are going to his parents, who helped throughout his whole journey.

“Oh, of course. I'll probably gift them to my parents and, obviously, thank them for everything they've done,” Henry said. “Like I said, I wouldn't be here without them and without their support and everything growing up. So yeah, probably gonna gift them to the parents.”

Henry’s journey wasn’t lost on his teammates, either. Some of them have seen him working his way back throughout the minor leagues.

“It was awesome. It's a small little token from today,” Jacob Young said after Sunday’s loss. “I watched him in the minor leagues in Double-A, I played with him. He's been through a lot to get back here. So to be able to watch him finally break through and be able to have that success in front of his family, it was awesome to see. It's a great place to do it against a rival like this.”

Henry made the full-time switch from a starter to a reliever this spring, hoping that would both give him the best chance to reach the majors and extend his career. He followed up his debut with a scoreless eighth inning on 16 pitches Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Now with two strong first impressions – and with the Nats still searching for answers in the bullpen – Henry’s move to reliever seems all the better for him and the team.

“I'm loving it so far,” he said. “It's a little bit different, obviously, but it's really fun. I like pitching whenever the game's on the line. I feel like those are the most important innings of the game, so it's really fun to get out there and just ride the adrenaline.”