Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Sets AL rookie record in steals
Rotowire
Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Angels.
Ruiz picked up his 67th steal of the year in the third inning to break the AL rookie record for steals set by Kenny Lofton in 1992. He also led the American League in steals after converting 67 of his 80 attempts on the season. His legs are all he really has going for him right now. His skills at the plate were average, after he finished slashing .254/.309/.345 with five homers, 47 RBI, 47 runs and a 20:99 BB:K in 490 plate appearances. Still, at just 24 years old, Ruiz figures to be a part of the Athletics' future plans in the outfield and has the potential to up his 2023 stolen base total next year if he can stay healthy.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Logs 66th steal
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Ruiz went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Angels.
Ruiz swiped 13 bags in September, giving him 66 in 79 attempts this season with one game to go. The speedy outfielder hit a .305 (18-for-59) over 24 contests in September, helping him to claw back some playing time he lost after a swoon in August. He's slashing .254/.308/.346 with five home runs, 46 RBI, 47 runs scored, 24 doubles and one triple through 131 games overall.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Out of lineup again Thursday
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Ruiz is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Minnesota.
It's the second straight game on the bench for Ruiz after he had started each of the previous three contests. JJ Bleday is again in left field for the Athletics while Lawrence Butler handles center.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: On bench Wednesday
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Ruiz is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Twins.
JJ Bleday, Lawrence Butler and Seth Brown will start across the outfield for the visiting Athletics. Ruiz leads all American League players with 65 stolen bases, but he's slashed just .254/.307/.348 across his 483 total major-league plate appearances this season.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Productive in shutout loss Sunday
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Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases in a loss to the Tigers on Sunday.
The rookie outfielder collected his 64th and 65th steals of the season, extending his insurmountable AL lead over the Royals' Bobby Witt (48 steals) and bringing him within three of MLB frontrunner Ronald Acuna. Ruiz is creating plenty of opportunities to utilize his blazing speed on the basepaths of late, as he's now hitting .381 (8-for-21) with Sunday's double, a home run, four RBI, two walks, seven steals and three runs across his last eight games.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Swats fifth homer in win
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Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and an additional run scored in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Detroit.
The speedy 24-year-old took Joey Wentz deep for a two-run shot, giving Oakland a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Through 18 games in September, Ruiz is batting .318 with three home runs, eight RBI, six runs and 10 steals; much improved from the .173/.259/.288 slash line he posted across 22 games in August.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Swipes two bags
Rotowire
Ruiz went 1-for-1 with two RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 8-2 win over the Tigers.
He didn't get the start but entered as a replacement for Tony Kemp (ankle) in left field. Ruiz made an impact with a two-run single in the seventh inning, then stole second and third. The speedster is up to 63 thefts this season, including 10 over 17 contests in September. He's swiped at least 10 bags in every month except July, which he missed most of due to a shoulder injury. The outfielder has added a .251/.305/.337 slash line with four home runs, 44 RBI and 44 runs scored through 124 contests.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Ruiz is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Ruiz's playing time since he returned from the injured list in early August has been hit or miss. This will be the fifth time he's out of the lineup over the last eight contests.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Crosses 60-steal mark
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Ruiz went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases in Monday's 5-0 loss to the Mariners.
Ruiz didn't start the game, but he entered as a pinch hitter and made some noise on the basepaths. The two steals gave him 61 on the year, the most by an American League player since Juan Pierre swiped 68 in 2010. Ruiz has notched eight thefts in September despite somewhat limited playing time. Over 121 contests this season, he's added a .250/.304/.338 slash line, four home runs, 42 RBI and 44 runs scored.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Knocks rare homer
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Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's win over Texas.
Ruiz took Jordan Montgomery deep for a solo shot in the fifth inning after knocking an RBI single in the second. It was Ruiz's second homer in seven games but he still has just four through 442 plate appearances. He's slashing .252/.306/.343 with 28 extra-base hits and 58 stolen bases on the year.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Swipes two more bases Wednesday
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Ruiz went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
As is often the case, Ruiz didn't remain still for long after getting aboard via a fifth-inning single, pilfering second and third base during the Athletics' next two plate appearances. While he was ultimately stranded 90 feet away from scoring his 43rd run of the season, Ruiz is now just two more swipes away from reaching the vaunted 60-steal mark on the season, and he's recorded two stolen bases apiece in four of his last 10 games.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Two steals as in-game replacement
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Ruiz entered Monday's extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays as a pinch runner in the ninth inning and remained in the game as the designated hitter. He didn't log an official plate appearance but recorded two stolen bases.
Ruiz made the most of his brief time on the diamond, pilfering both second and third base after being inserted to run for Brent Rooker following the latter's leadoff single in the ninth. The speedy Ruiz came within 90 feet of scoring the winning run thanks to his pair of steals, but Shea Langeliers stranded him with an inning-ending popup. Ruiz is up to 56 stolen bases despite a 22-game stint on the injured list from early July to early August, and he's offered a nice bonus with 27 extra-base hits and 40 RBI as well across his 432 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz's playing time has been sporadic over the last couple weeks, as he had started three of the previous four games prior to Monday but before that made only one start in a six-game stretch. His stolen-base upside keeps his fantasy value afloat, but his stock has nonetheless taken a hit with the lack of consistent at-bats.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Fills box score in win
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Ruiz went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, a stolen base, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-2 win over the Angels.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ruiz came up a triple shy of the cycle, though he never had a chance at it after making outs in his first two at-bats. He's collected six hits over his last 11 at-bats while logging five steals in that span. The speedy outfielder is up to 54 thefts with three homers, 40 RBI, 42 runs scored, 22 doubles, a triple and a .251/.307/.338 slash line through 428 plate appearances. Ruiz has fallen into a timeshare in center field, and his brutal August slump has allowed Lawrence Butler to earn time against right-handers.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Swipes two more bags
Rotowire
Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, an RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners.
Getting the start in left field and batting ninth, Ruiz continued to be a pest on the basepaths by swiping bags in the second and seventh innings, but he also got thrown out at the plate to end the latter frame -- a play that loomed large given the final score. Incredibly, Ruiz has more steals (10) than hits (nine) in August, slashing a woeful .173/.259/.288 on the month and seeing his playing time dwindle as Lawrence Butler takes over the starting center-field job for the A's.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Registers two steals
Rotowire
Ruiz went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Sunday's 6-1 loss to the White Sox.
Ruiz had sat out three straight games amid an 0-for-14 slump that began Aug. 18. He hit ninth Sunday and made an impact in his lone trip on base, becoming the first AL player to reach 50 steals this year. He's 51-for-60 on the basepaths while slashing .243/.299/.319 over 104 contests. With his recent poor hitting leading to a reduced role, the outfielder could have trouble adding to his impressive steals total over the last month-plus of the campaign.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Stuck on bench
Rotowire
Ruiz will sit for the third straight game Saturday against the White Sox.
Ruiz seems to have slipped at least temporarily into the short side of a platoon, as he's been on the bench against the last five righties Oakland has faced. The 24-year-old's 49 steals in 102 games have given him plenty of fantasy value, but his .243/.298/.319 slash line leaves a lot to be desired from a real-world perspective, especially when paired with defense which grades out poorly by both DRS and UZR. Lawrence Butler starts in center field Saturday.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Sits again amid slump
Rotowire
Ruiz is out of the lineup Friday against the White Sox.
Ruiz was also on the bench for Thursday's series opener in Chicago. He's swiped 49 bases this season with Oakland, but the 24-year-old speedster carries an overall .618 OPS and is slashing just .136/.208/.250 in 51 plate appearances since the beginning of August.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Sitting Thursday
Rotowire
Ruiz isn't in the Athletics' lineup Thursday against the White Sox.
Ruiz hasn't logged a hit since Aug. 16, so he'll get a day off Thursday in order to regain his focus. Tony Kemp, Lawrence Butler and Seth Brown will start across Oakland's outfield while Ruiz sits.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Heads to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Ruiz will hit the bench for Oakland's second straight matchup with a right-handed pitcher (Kyle Bradish), ceding his spot in the outfield to Tony Kemp. The non-contending Athletics probably aren't ready to pull the plug on Ruiz as an everyday player just yet, but the rookie's downturn in playing time comes while he's struggled to get going at the dish since making his return from the a dislocated shoulder Aug. 5. In his first 12 games back from the injured list, Ruiz is slashing .167/.250/.306 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate, though he's at least helped out fantasy managers with five stolen bases and a home run.
