Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Path clear for everyday role
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Ruiz is expected to serve as the everyday center fielder in the wake of Cristian Pache's trade to the Phillies on Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz is set to be a fixture in Oakland's starting nine, at least to open the season. The speedy 24-year-old couldn't come close to duplicating the extensive offensive success he enjoyed at multiple minor-league stops when he logged his first 36 big-league plate appearances in 2022, posting a .171 average and .452 OPS with the Brewers and Padres. However, the rebuilding Athletics figure to be patient with Ruiz, who produced a .332/.447/.526 slash line, 12.2 percent walk rate, 17.4 percent strikeout rate and 85 steals across a combined 114 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Lands spot on Opening Day roster
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Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said Ruiz will make the team's Opening Day roster, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
After being traded from Milwaukee to Oakland over the offseason, Ruiz will officially get another chance to contribute in the majors. The 24-year-old outfield prospect recorded just a .452 OPS for the Brewers last season, but he has demonstrated a knack for stealing bases at high volume. It is still uncertain whether Ruiz or Cristian Pache will get the nod as the A's starting center fielder.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Keeps knocking them in Tuesday
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Ruiz went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI singles and a stolen base in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Tuesday. He was also caught stealing on another attempt.
The highly-promising prospect pushed his spring RBI total to an impressive 13 across 15 Cactus League contests. Ruiz also boasts a .289/.378/.447 line and five steals over his 45 plate appearances, and he remains in a heated battle with Cristian Pache for the starting center field job as the final days of spring training unfold.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Prospects looking up
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Ruiz, who went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs in a Cactus League win over the Rockies on Monday, seemingly has a better chance of securing an Opening Day roster spot after fellow outfielder JJ Bleday was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Ruiz, who arrived in the three-team trade that saw Sean Murphy moved to Atlanta in December, is now hitting .241 (7-for-29) with two doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, three walks, three stolen bases and eight runs over 11 Cactus League games. That type of diverse stat line is somewhat reminiscent, albeit over a much smaller sample, of some of the stellar numbers Ruiz put up at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season. However, the 24-year-old's primary competition for the starting center field job, Cristian Pache, is out of minor-league options and enjoying an outstanding spring at the plate while also providing his usual elite defense; therefore, he could well continue to have the inside track to the starting job for the time being.
Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Not starting Cactus League opener
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Ruiz is not in the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League opener against the Diamondbacks, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Ruiz will take a seat in favor of the left-handed-swinging JJ Bleday in center field. Both players were acquired in trades this offseason. As a 23-year-old in 2022, Ruiz slashed .332/.447/.526 with 16 home runs and a whopping 85 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A in the Padres and Brewers organizations. Ruiz's playing-time outlook is hazy at the moment with Opening Day still more than a month out.
The Athletics acquired Ruiz from Atlanta on Monday in a three-team deal with the Brewers, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The A's also received pitchers Kyle Muller, Royber Salinas and Freddy Tarnok plus catcher Manny Pina, while Atlanta received catcher Sean Murphy and the Brewers received catcher William Contreras and pitchers Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager.
Ruiz, a part of the Josh Hader trade in July, posted an OPS around .900 in Triple-A last season and stole 48 total bases. He struggled with a .171/.194/.257 slash line in 17 big-league games, but that was a small sample size and he was still one of Milwaukee's top prospects. This is a perfect opportunity for Ruiz to get a chance to play every day, as Oakland lacks much talent on the roster.
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Brewers' Esteury Ruiz: Sent down Thursday
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Ruiz was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.
Ruiz was called up by Milwaukee at the beginning of September, and he went 0-for-8 with two runs, a walk and two strikeouts over three games with the major-league club. However, he'll head back to the minors after Mike Brosseau (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.
The 23-year-old was traded from San Diego to Milwaukee at the beginning of August as part of the deal that sent Josh Hader to the Padres, but Ruiz spent the first month with his new organization at the Triple-A level. He slashed .326/.383/.395 with six doubles, 16 runs, five RBI and 10 stolen bases over 22 games at Nashville and will join the major-league squad to provide additional depth now that active rosters have expanded to 28 players.
