Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz will take the day off on Sunday versus the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Riley Adams will do the catching instead for rookie left-hander DJ Herz while batting eighth against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. Ruiz will take a seat after getting hits in four of his nine at-bats with a home run, a double, four RBI, and two runs scored in the first two games of the series against the Cardinals. He's now gone 8-for-22 (.364) with a homer, double, five RBI and three runs scored in five games so far in the month of July, and fantasy managers are hoping that Ruiz can finally start to heat up this year. The 25-year-old Venezuelan backstop hasn't done much for fantasy managers in 2024, slashing .218/.257/.319 with five home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs scored in 229 at-bats to this point in the season.
Keibert Ruiz Homers, Knocks In Three Runs Saturday
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz hit a home run and had three RBI on Saturday afternoon in a 14-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He had not homered since June 9th. Ruiz is off to a good start in July, hitting .364 with a home run, five RBI, and three runs scored. On the season, the veteran is hitting .218 with five home runs, 25 RBI, a stolen base, and 21 runs scored. Look for Ruiz to continue to play five games per week and handle the bulk of the catching duties for the Nationals the rest of the season.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is taking the day off during Wednesday's matinee contest for the series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins. With Ruiz on the bench, Riley Adams will do the catching for right-hander Jake Irvin and bat eighth against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Ruiz dealt with a pretty serious illness early this year that caused him to lose over 10 pounds, so perhaps that's why he's been such a disappointment so far in 2024. The 25-year-old switch-hitting Venezuelan backstop is slashing .160/.198/.236 with only two home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored in 106 at-bats. Adams has been slightly better, going 16-for-69 (.232) with two home runs and six RBI. The 27-year-old will be a low-upside sleeper in DFS at catcher.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz isn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday for the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Washington will be starting Riley Adams at catcher who will be batting seventh in replace of Ruiz. This season, Ruiz is slashing .145/.193/.410 with two home runs and four RBIs. In his last 15 games, Ruiz is slashing .102/.159/.153 with one run and one RBI as he has struggled to produce much offense this season. The 25-year-old is 28% owned in Yahoo fantasy leagues while is owned in 46% of ESPN's fantasy leagues. However, due to the lack of offense, Ruiz is producing right now, he isn't worth a fantasy look, especially with Adams stealing some starts from him.
The Washington Nationals reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday. Ruiz landed on the injured list last week with influenza. Barring any setbacks, Ruiz should be ready to return to the Nats lineup at some point later this week. Until then, Riley Adams and Drew Millas figure to split up the playing time behind the plate.
Keibert Ruiz Likely To Go On Short Rehab Assignment
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) has finally moved past the worst of his case of influenza, which first began afflicting him 13 days ago and eventually forced him to the 10-day injured list. He described himself as "90 percent" better now and has been able to start some baseball activities -- hitting off a pitching machine, participating in some defensive drills and doing some light weight lifting. He was set to begin running before Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. The 25-year-old lost 18-20 pounds. Ruiz could be activated before Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the team seems inclined to have him go on a short minor-league rehab assignment first, likely with Double-A Harrisburg. Ruiz was hitting just .194 (6-for-31) with a homer and three RBI before getting sick.
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Friday's game versus the Houston Astros that catcher Keibert Ruiz (influenza) is feeling a lot better after he recently played catch and took batting practice. Martinez said the backstop lost 20 pounds while battling the flu, so Ruiz still needs to build his strength back up. With that said, he's eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as early as Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers and seems unlikely to need a minor-league rehab assignment before getting back behind the dish for the Nats. The 26-year-old former top prospect was off to a sluggish start, however, batting .194 (6-for-31) with one home run and three RBI over eight games. Riley Adams will get the bulk of the catching work in DC in the interim and is worth a look for fantasy managers in deep two-catcher leagues, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and five RBI in 10 outings this year.
The Washington Nationals placed catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 12) with the flu on Monday and recalled catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. The team also recalled left-hander Mitchell Parker from Rochester. Ruiz has been under the weather of late and hasn't appeared in a game since April 8. It's tough for a player to go on the IL due to an illness, but the 25-year-old backstop should be able to return when he's eligible. In addition to his illness, Ruiz has been cold at the plate in the early going, picking up six hits in his first 31 at-bats, including a homer, three RBI and five strikeouts. For as long as Ruiz is on the shelf, Riley Adams will operate as Washington's primary catcher, with Millas backing him up.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) is unlikely to play during Monday's game, according to manager Dave Martinez. Ruiz has missed each of the last five games due to an illness. The organization has not placed Ruiz on the injured list and still considers the catcher as day-to-day. Drew Millas has been recalled from Triple-A to provide some catching depth in the absence of Ruiz.
