Nationals pitching prospect Cole Henry to have thoracic outlet surgery

The Washington Nationals suffered a devastating hit to their farm system. One of their top pitching prospects, Cole Henry, will undergo season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome on Aug. 28, according to 106.7 the Fan’s Grant Paulsen.

The 23-year-old Henry hasn’t pitched since June 11. He made two starts after being promoted to Triple-A Rochester before he was shut down with shoulder tenderness on June 23.

The Nationals selected Henry in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft. At 6-foot-5, the right-hander climbed as high as third on the Nationals’ prospect list. He was considered as the Nationals’ No. 2 pitching prospect behind Cade Cavalli by MLB Pipeline.

This season, Henry made a total of nine starts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He had a 1.71 ERA and 0.789 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks in 31 ⅔  innings pitched.

“I’m pretty content with having the surgery, and I’m just looking forward to getting it done and then starting my rehab and coming back stronger than before,” Henry told Paulsen on the Bustin’ Loose Baseball podcast.

Henry will become the third Nationals pitcher to undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in the last two seasons, joining right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg and reliever Will Harris.

Harris last pitched in the majors on May 22, 2021. He had TOS surgery shortly afterward. He recently made five rehab appearances this season in the minors. The last four have occurred with Triple-A Rochester.

Strasburg underwent the surgery in July 2021. He didn’t return to the mound on June 9 of this year. However, he was placed on the IL five days later with a stress reaction in his ribs. The injury is related to the TOS. The veteran is not expected to return this season.

The Nationals surely are hoping Henry will have a better rehab than the older veterans Harris and Strasburg, but it’s evident the Nationals took a huge hit losing Henry for the foreseeable future. 

Henry emerged along with Cavalli and recently acquired 18-year-old Jarlin Susana as the Nationals’ core trio of starting pitchers. Now, Henry’s pro career has been put on hold as he faces a lengthy recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.