The Athletics introduced that they’ve traded outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the Dodgers for right-hander Carlos Duran. Previous to that official announcement, Alden González of ESPN reported that Ruiz was headed to the Dodgers. The outfielder was designated for project by the Athletics just a few days in the past. The Dodgers will possibility him to Triple-A. Proper-hander Kyle Damage has been transferred to the 60-day injured record to open a 40-man spot, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Damage required Tommy John surgical procedure in July and received’t be an possibility till later within the season.
Ruiz, now 26, lengthy been recognized for his wheels however has at all times had questions on his bat. He burst onto the foremost league scene with the A’s in 2023, topping the American League by stealing 67 bases. On the plate, he slashed .254/.309/.345 for a wRC+ of 85. Regardless of his pace, his glovework obtained blended opinions. He was credited with two Outs Above Common however -20 Defensive Runs Saved.
The stolen bases weren’t sufficient to get buy-in from the A’s. They optioned him to the minors early in 2024. He was recalled however then suffered a strained left wrist which saved him on the IL for months. He additionally underwent arthroscopic knee surgical procedure in September. He was in camp with the A’s this spring however was optioned in mid-March and got rid of the 40-man after they claimed left-hander Angel Perdomo off waivers this previous weekend.
The minor league offense has been higher in recent times. Courting again to the beginning of 2022, Ruiz has a line of .337/.444/.535 on the farm. Nevertheless, most of that was in his breakout 2022 season. He was within the majors in 2023 and largely damage in 2024. His minor league manufacturing was extra middling previous to that. He slashed a mixed .247/.318/.391 from 2017 to 2021 throughout numerous minor league ranges for a 97 wRC+.
It’s been up-and-down total. His big 2022 displaying acquired him a number of consideration. The Padres traded him to the Brewers that 12 months as a part of the notorious Josh Hader deal. Milwaukee then flipped Ruiz to the A’s as a part of the three-team Sean Murphy commerce. The A’s clearly have been making an enormous wager on Ruiz at the moment however apparently soured on him after his middling offensive efficiency in 2023 after which injury-marred 2024.
For the Dodgers, they successfully had a 40-man roster spot open resulting from Damage’s surgical procedure. There’s little hurt in bringing Ruiz aboard to see how he takes care of final 12 months’s accidents. Even when the bat doesn’t come round, he may maybe show to be helpful as a pinch-running specialist. Any offensive developments can be a pleasant bonus.
Duran, 23, has been working as a starter within the minor leagues with some respectable numbers however well being issues. Regardless of primarily working as a starter within the minors, he’s by no means topped 81 innings in a season.
In March of final 12 months, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him the #22 prospect within the Dodgers’ system, noting that Tommy John surgical procedure worn out his 2023 and he additionally had some shoulder troubles on his monitor document. He returned to the mound final 12 months and progressively constructed as much as toss 53 1/3 innings throughout 19 begins. He had a 3.71 earned run common, 29.4% strikeout fee and 12.9% stroll fee. He reached Triple-A within the course of and can give the A’s some non-roster pitching depth on the higher ranges.
Photograph courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Photos.
