Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (knee, wrist) underwent arthroscopic right-knee surgery on Tuesday in Texas, the team announced. Ruiz was already ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 season due to a strained left wrist, and now he'll be rehabbing a knee procedure this offseason on top of it. The 25-year-old speedster specifically had a patella tendon debridement and chondroplasty done to his knee. After stealing a league-high 67 bases in his first year in Oakland in 2023, Ruiz was a massive disappointment for fantasy managers hoping to lock down stolen bases by taking him in drafts. Ruiz only played in 29 games at the major-league level in 2024 and hit .200/.270/.382 with a .652 OPS, two homers, two doubles, a triple, eight RBI and five stolen bases in 65 plate appearances. The A's sent him down to the minors early in the year and he was never able to recover.
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) was ruled out for the rest of the season today per Athletics manager Mark Kotsay. Ruiz has been out since late May after straining his left wrist. The 25-year-old had been playing in rehab games as part of his progression back to the major league club but was pulled off his rehab assignment on July 20th. Ruiz was having a so-so season at the plate, hitting for an 87 OPS+, on par with his production in 2023. He stole just five bases in 29 games, well behind pace from his 2023 clip of 67 stolen bases in 132 games. Ruiz will have to wait until 2025 to improve his numbers. Fantasy managers that happen to still be holding onto him can cut bait for the rest of 2024. Those looking for outfield help should turn to JJ Bleday, who is hitting for a .972 OPS in August.
Esteury Ruiz Plays Full Rehab Game In Center Field
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) played a full nine innings in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday in center field but went 0-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and three strikeouts. Ruiz could be ready to rejoin the A's big-league roster for the start of the second half of the season in Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels after playing a full game on defense. The 25-year-old speedster has now played in five games and received 21 plate appearances on his minor-league rehab assignment. The bigger question will be how much Ruiz will play once he's back in Oakland. After stealing a league-high 67 bases in 2023, Ruiz has hit just .200 (11-for-55) this year with two homers, eight RBI and only five stolen bases with inconsistent playing time in 29 games in 2024.
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) played in another minor-league rehab game on Sunday with Single-A Stockton and went 2-for-3 with an RBI while playing seven innings in left field. Ruiz played a full game for Stockton on Friday as the designated hitter and then had the day off on Saturday. The 25-year-old has hit safely in all four of his rehab games for Stockton to this point and could come off the injured list to rejoin the big-league roster when the second half of the season starts on Friday following the All-Star break. Ruiz led all of baseball with 67 stolen bases last year, but he was hitting .200 (11-for-55) with only five steals in 29 games this year before his injury. He's obviously valuable for his speed, but the A's made it clear earlier this season that they won't guarantee Ruiz regular playing time when he's healthy.
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) has performed well across his first three rehab games but is still "a ways away" from returning to the majors, according to manager Mark Kotsay. Kotsay further explained that since Ruiz was out of action for an extended period of time, he wanted to make sure he got enough at-bats and felt comfortable before returning to the majors. The 25-year-old was placed on the injured list on May 23 with a strained wrist. In his first three rehab games, he has performed quite well with a .500/.583/.750 slash line with two doubles, four RBI, and one stolen base. Ruiz could be worth a look in category leagues once he returns to the majors in the second half of the summer due to his elite speed, as he stole 67 bases in 2023.
Esteury Ruiz Singles, Steals A Base In First Rehab Game
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) singled, stole a base and drove in a run in two at-bats in his first minor-league rehab game with Single-A Stockton on Tuesday night. He also walked once and struck out while playing seven innings in left field. It was Ruiz's first game action since injuring his wrist with the A's on May 22. Because of the long layoff, the 25-year-old could need a rather lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before he's an option to rejoin the big-league roster. Fantasy managers in need of speed won't have him as an option until after the All-Star break anyway, and there's no guarantee he'll see regular playing time in Oakland when he gets past his wrist injury. Ruiz was sent to the minors earlier this year and has hit just .200 (11-for-55) with five stolen bases in 29 games after leading the big leagues with 67 stolen bases in 2023.
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 23 with a left-wrist strain, has progressed to hitting off a tee in his recovery. It's good news that Ruiz is starting to resume baseball activities, but now that the calendar has flipped to July, he'll be fighting an uphill battle to complete his rehab and rejoin the major-league roster before the All-Star break in mid-July. And even when the 25-year-old speedy outfielder is ready to come off the injured list, he won't be guaranteed significant playing time in Oakland after already being optioned to the minors earlier this year. The Dominican led baseball with 67 stolen bases in 2023, but he's hitting just .200 (11-for-55) this year with two homers, eight RBI and five steals in 29 games played. Ruiz has game-changing speed, but he's not of a whole lot of use in fantasy if he's not playing regularly.
Esteury Ruiz Not Yet Ready For Baseball Activities
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) is continuing to go through a strengthening program and is expected to begin baseball activities around 10 to 12 days after that. Ruiz sprained his wrist around a month ago and went on the injured list. He hasn't done much since then besides strengthening and isn't going to be back with the A's until July, most likely after the All-Star break in the middle of July. The 25-year-old speedster broke out in 2023 and led all of baseball with 67 stolen bases, but he's already been demoted to the minors in 2024 and is now dealing with a serious injury. In only 29 games to this point, he's hit .200 (11-for-55) with two homers, eight RBI and only five stolen bases. Ruiz won't be guaranteed regular playing time when he's fully healthy, either.
The Oakland Athletics placed outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a strained left wrist and selected the contract of outfielder Daz Cameron from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Infielder Jordan Diaz was also designated for assignment. Ruiz only made two starts in the team's last 13 games due to his injury, so they A's weren't trying to play a man short any longer. The 25-year-old speedster had a league-high 67 stolen bases in 2023 but has already been optioned to the minors once in 2024 and is currently hitting .200 (11-for-55) with two homers, eight RBI and five steals in 29 games. Ruiz has gone 2-for-19 with 10 strikeouts in May. Cameron, 27, could be an interesting option in AL-only leagues if he sees playing time. He was hitting .307 with six homers and eight steals in 41 games for Vegas before this call-up.
Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Texas Rangers. Ruiz was forced to exit early during Saturday's game due to a wrist issue. The young outfielder went for an MRI on Monday, which didn't reveal any significant damage. That being said, Ruiz will bat leadoff and cover left field during Monday's game. The speedster has been solid during his time in Oakland this season, so fantasy managers should make sure to get him back in their lineups.
Esteury Ruiz
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Athletics
