Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is getting a breather on Tuesday versus the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Riley Adams will do the catching for rookie left-hander DJ Herz and will bat seventh for the Nats against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber. The switch-hitting Ruiz has fared better from the left side of the plate against right-handers in 2024, as he's hit just .224 (19-for-85) with two of his 12 home runs on the season from the right side against lefties. He'll take a seat on Tuesday in the midst of a modest five-game hitting streak in which he's gone 6-for-22 (.273) with three home runs, five RBI and three runs scored. Adams will be cheap in DFS lineups, but he won't bring fantasy managers much upside at all. The 28-year-old backstop is batting .230 (26-for-113) on the year with only two homers and eight RBI.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz went 2-for-4 with two home runs on Thursday evening. Ruiz hit his first long ball in the fifth inning and then did so again in the seventh frame. The switch-hitting catcher extended his current hitting streak to three games and boasts a strong .295/.340/.545 line through August. The 26-year-old has struggled in the batter's box for most of the season but his recent surge could suggest he might be turning the corner. However, he still has been a viable asset in points leagues with his excellent 10.3% K rate. Ruiz remains a solid option as a second catcher in deeper formats and should continue to see the majority of starting opportunities in D.C.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (groin) left Wednesday's game early after being hit by a bounced ball in the groin. Riley Adams eventually replaced Ruiz later in the game. Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reported that Nationals skipper Dave Martinez is concerned about the severity of the injury. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Nationals lineup prior to Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The switch-hitting catcher has struggled in the batter's box this season with a .216/.248/.334 line but has held a stellar 11.2% K rate. Adams would get a majority of the starts behind the dish if Ruiz were to be sidelined for an extended period, but he should be faded in all DFS competitions this weekend as he currently sits with a modest .233 AVG.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz homered and drove in three runs in Saturday's 14-3 rout of the Cardinals. It was his eighth home run of the season but his only hit of the game, going 1-for-6 at the plate, while the RBIs pushed his season total to 33. For a contact-hitter like Ruiz, it's perplexing to see him batting just .217 on the season, however, he's been better in July, hitting .261 with four of his eight home runs coming this month. The backstop's 87.8% contact rate, low 11.3% strikeout rate, and xBA of .268 could mean things should keep trending up for the switch-hitter.
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.
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