Keibert Ruiz Hitting Cleanup For The Nationals On Tuesday
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is batting cleanup for the Nationals on Tuesday against the Orioles. The switch-hitter is off to a solid start for the Nats, hitting safely in 16 of 19 games thus far, slashing .306/.359/.417 with a .346 wOBA and 121 wRC+, putting himself within the top 10 fantasy players at the position to this point. The 26-year-old owns a 10.3 percent strikeout rate in 2025, even better than his strong career mark of 11.0 percent, so he's very adept at putting the bat on the ball. Hitting fourth should afford a better shot at RBIs on Tuesday, and going up against the Orioles' Dean Kremer, who has allowed 13 earned runs in three road starts thus far (14 1/3 IP, 8.16 ERA), should put him under consideration for use in DFS lineups.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and first baseman Josh Bell are out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Riley Adams is behind the dish and is batting eighth, while Nathaniel Lowe is starting at first base and is hitting cleanup for the Nats against Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney. James Wood is the designated hitter and is batting second. Ruiz is getting his second day off of the season after starting strong with a .317 average (20-for-63) with two homers and 11 RBI. The 26-year-old should be back for Friday's series opener in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. Bell will get the day off against a lefty after going just 3-for-27 with a homer in the last seven games. Adams has gone hitless in just two career at-bats against Heaney, while Lowe has two hits in both of his at-bats against Heaney.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and outfielder Jacob Young are both resting on Saturday against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Riley Adams will do the catching for left-hander Mitchell Parker and will bat ninth, while Alex Call will start in right field and bat sixth against D-backs left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Dylan Crews is sliding from right field to center. Ruiz entered Friday's lost to Arizona riding a six-game hitting streak to begin the year but had it snapped when he went 0-for-4 . The 26-year-old Venezuelan has gone 8-for-25 in the early going with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored. Young, meanwhile, has struggled with just one hit in 15 at-bats in his first six games of the year. Adams is hitless in just one career at-bat against E-Rod, while Call has never faced him in his career.
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.
Keibert Ruiz
• C
•
Nationals
