The Dodgers acquired Ruiz from the Athletics on Wednesday in exchange for right-hander Carlos Duran, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz has two minor-league options left and will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old has blazing speed that helped him steal 67 bases in the majors in 2023, but he's managed a career .243/.297/.343 batting line over parts of three big-league seasons and has also struggled defensively. The Dodgers will see if they're able to get more out of Ruiz than the Athletics were able to.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Moved off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Athletics designated Ruiz for assignment Sunday.
The 26-year-old was the Athletics' main return piece in the trade that sent catcher Sean Murphy (ribs) to Atlanta in 2022, but the outfielder is no longer on the 40-man roster. Ruiz stole 67 bases as a rookie in 2023 but had an underwhelming .254/.309/.345 slash line in 132 games, and he played in just 29 big-league contests last season. Ruiz will remain at Triple-A Las Vegas if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Dispatched to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Athletics optioned Ruiz to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Ruiz once looked to be one of the more intriguing prospects in the Athletics system after he was acquired from the Brewers in December 2022. Though he led the American League with 67 steals in 2023, Ruiz slashed just .254/.309/.345 over his first full season in the big leagues and seems to have since been passed up by other outfielders on the organizational depth chart. He spent most of the 2024 season either on the injured list or stuck in a bench role with the Athletics, and Ruiz will now have to head to Triple-A to begin the 2025 campaign due to the logjam in the big-league outfield.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Unlikely to win roster spot
Rotowire
Ruiz is hitting just .130 (3-for-23) with one walk and no stolen bases in 12 games this spring. He appears unlikely to win a roster spot, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz is healthy after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in late September. He played just 45 games between the knee injury and a left wrist strain. He'll likely need revive his career for awhile at Triple-A before getting another chance in the big leagues.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Playing in spring opener
Rotowire
Ruiz (knee/wrist) is starting in left field and batting sixth in the Athletics' first game of spring training Saturday versus San Diego.
Ruiz ended last season on the 60-day IL due to a left wrist strain, and he also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in late September. The speedy outfielder appears to have recovered from both issues during the offseason and will look to get back on track in 2025 after playing in only 45 combined contests between the majors and minors last year. Ruiz may need to have a strong camp in order to make the Athletics' Opening Day roster.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Undergoes knee surgery
Rotowire
Ruiz (wrist) underwent right knee arthroscopic surgery Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
A patella tendon debridement and a chondroplasty procedure were performed on the knee. Ruiz -- who had already been ruled out for the season with a left wrist strain -- will rehab this offseason in hopes of being ready in time for spring training. The 25-year-old played 29 games for the Athletics this season, producing a .652 OPS with two homers and five steals.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Athletics transferred Ruiz (wrist) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Ruiz has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a left wrist strain in May, so the A's will give his spot on the 40-man roster to CJ Alexander, who was claimed off waivers from Kansas City on Wednesday.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Out for season
Rotowire
Manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Ruiz (wrist) will not return from the 10-day injured list this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz has been on the IL since late May due to a left wrist strain, and a setback forced him off his rehab assignment July 20. After going more than a month without playing and making little progress in his recovery, the speedy outfielder won't attempt to ramp back up for a return before the season ends in late September. He'll close the book on 2024 with a .200/.270/.382 slash line along with five stolen bases over 29 games.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Plays full nine on defense
Rotowire
Ruiz (wrist) started in center field and played nine innings in the ACL Athletics' extra-inning loss to the ACL Brewers on Tuesday, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
While Ruiz's hot streak at the plate during his rehab assignment was ironically snapped against a much lower caliber of competition than he normally faces, the fact the outfielder played a full game's worth of innings on defense is the main takeaway. After logging 21 plate appearances over five games down on the farm, Ruiz may be deemed ready for activation ahead of the Athletics' game of the second half Friday against the Angels.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Full rehab game at DH
Rotowire
Ruiz (wrist) took a full game's worth of plate appearances at designated hitter for Single-A Stockton against Rancho Cucamonga on Friday, going 1-for-2 with a three-run double, two walks and a run. He was also caught stealing on his only attempt.
It was yet another eventful night with the Ports for Ruiz, who's hitting .500 over his three rehab games with Stockton thus far. The fleet-footed outfielder was also playing on consecutive nights for the first time during the assignment Friday, and judging by both his performance at the plate and the green light he had on the basepaths, his previously ailing wrist appears to be back to health. It remains to be seen if the A's will allow Ruiz to finish out the weekend with either Stockton or another minor-league affiliate before activating him coming out of the All-Star break.
Ruiz (wrist) went 1-for-2 with a single, an RBI sacrifice fly, a stolen base and a walk in Single-A Stockton's loss to Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday.
Ruiz was making his rehab debut and drew the start in left field, logging seven innings before being substituted. Considering it was Ruiz's first taste of game action since May 22, the night was an encouraging one despite the low level of competition. The fact Ruiz was given the green light on the basepaths also seemingly bodes well for the health of his previously injured wrist, and it remains to be seen if he'll remain with the Ports for at least one more rehab game or bump up to a higher affiliate.
Ruiz (wrist) will begin his rehab assignment with Single-A Stockton on Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Ruiz has been on the injured list since May 23 with a strained left wrist. He resumed swinging a bat July 1, and he has been making progress in his strengthening program. He'll need multiple rehab outings without any setbacks before coming off the IL. Prior to his injury, Ruiz was slashing .200/.270/.382 with five stolen bases, two home runs and eight RBI over 65 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Could take next recovery step soon
Rotowire
Ruiz (wrist), who has resumed swinging a bat, could begin running the bases at some point next week, MLB.com reports.
The speedy outfielder continues to make incremental progress in his recovery from a left wrist strain, and baserunning would appear to be one of the final precursors to a rehab assignment. Given Ruiz also is still likely to engage in some live batting practice before heading to the minors for a few games, he's unlikely to be ready for activation until after the All-Star break.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Lands on IL with strained wrist
Rotowire
The Athletics placed Ruiz on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a strained left wrist, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
It's not clear when or how Ruiz suffered the injury, but he'll be sidelined for at least the next week and a half. Ruiz had made just two starts over Oakland's last 13 games and is only 2-for-19 with 10 strikeouts at the plate in May.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Swipes base as pinch runner
Rotowire
Ruiz entered Tuesday's win over the Rockies in the eighth inning as a pinch runner and remained in the game in left field. He did not log a plate appearance but recorded a stolen base.
Abraham Toro opened the eighth inning with a go-ahead solo home run for Oakland and Brent Rooker got aboard with a single two batters later, setting up Ruiz's entry into the game in a pinch-running capacity. The fleet-footed outfielder advanced to second on a Shea Langeliers walk before swiping third, but he was stranded at the hot corner after Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof each struck out to end the inning. Ruiz has seen only sporadic playing time after drawing starts in four of the first seven games in May, with JJ Bleday earning the bulk of playing time in center field thanks to a productive stretch at the plate over his last 10 contests.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Drives in run in return
Rotowire
Ruiz (wrist) went 0-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly in a loss to the Rangers on Monday.
Ruiz returned after a one-game absence due to a wrist injury he suffered Saturday and was able to contribute an RBI for the third consecutive contest. The 25-year-old outfielder has demonstrated a slight uptick in pop during the first month-plus of the season and appears to have moved past the wrist issue, given he drew the start in left field Monday.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Makes impact as pinch runner
Rotowire
Ruiz entered Wednesday's win over the Pirates as a pinch runner in the bottom of the eighth inning, recording a stolen base and subsequently scoring a run.
The speedy outfielder offered a spark off the bench after being tasked with running for Abraham Toro, swiping second base and subsequently coming home on Kyle McCann's single. The steal was only Ruiz's fourth in 16 games this season, but his second in the last three contests. The 25-year-old has also shown a welcome increase in pop early in the campaign, as he sports an impressive .861 OPS thanks in large part to having laced five of his nine hits for extra bases.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Productive out of leadoff spot
Rotowire
Ruiz went 1-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run in a win over the Pirates on Monday.
Five of Ruiz's nine hits on the season have now gone for extra bases, leading to his considerably surprising .528 slugging percentage across 42 plate appearances. The speedy outfielder has seen an increase in strikeout rate to 23.8 percent and is sporting a bloated 34.8 percent chase rate as well, but the Athletics might be willing to live with some of that if Ruiz can continue to demonstrate improved pop after posting a middling .654 OPS across 132 games in 2023.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Homers in return
Rotowire
Ruiz hit a solo home run in his lone plate appearance in a loss to the Cardinals on Monday.
Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A prior to the contest and entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He produced Oakland's only run of the game when he smashed a 406-foot solo shot off Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero. It was a bit baffling when the A's sent Ruiz to the minors April 1, as he had gone 3-for-7 with a stolen base over his first three games. He played well during his Triple-A stint, slashing .326/.423/.581 with seven thefts in eight tries and showed more than his usual amount of power with three long balls. He probably isn't going to suddenly become a home-run hitter, but that's fine with most fantasy managers who hung onto him during his demotion -- after Ruiz racked up an AL-leading 67 thefts as a rookie last year, he figures to be a difference-maker in that category (if given enough playing time) now that he's back in the big leagues.
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Athletics' Esteury Ruiz: Won't start Saturday
Rotowire
Ruiz is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.
Ruiz started in left field and was in the leadoff spot Friday. He finished the game going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI sacrifice fly. Seth Brown pinch hit for Ruiz in the eighth inning, and the former will start in left field and bat fifth Saturday while JJ Bleday mans center field and bats third against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee.
