The Athletics announced that outfielder Esteury Ruiz has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. His spot on the active roster goes to infielder Tyler Nevin, who was claimed off waivers from the Orioles yesterday.
Ruiz, 25, has been a key component of the Oakland roster in recent years, having been a notable part of their return in the Sean Murphy trade going into the 2023 season. He missed about a month of last year due to a right shoulder subluxation but otherwise spent the whole year in the majors, getting 497 plate appearances over 132 games. He stole 67 bases in that time but hit just five home runs and walked in just 4% of his trips to the plate. His .254/.309/.345 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he was 14% worse than league average.
This has generally been the profile of Ruiz as a prospect. His blazing speed has always allowed him to provide a level of dynamism on the field but there have always been questions about whether he can hit enough to make use of that. He seemed to take a step forward in 2022, walking in 12.2% of his minor league plate appearances and hitting 16 home runs, which is perhaps why the A’s took a shot on him.
The fact that he didn’t immediately hit the ground running against big league pitching isn’t necessarily an indictment of his future, as many prospects go through an adjustment period after first being promoted. But given that the concerns around his lack of power and on-base ability predate his arrival, it does perhaps raise a least a little concern that the step forward in 2022 was more a fluke than a true sign of change.
Despite his incredible speed, his defense hasn’t been given amazing grades thus far. Outs Above Average has him at just +2 in his career while Defensive Runs Saved has him way down at -22. His -20 DRS last year was the second worst among all outfielders, with only Kyle Schwarber beneath him.
Ruiz started the 2024 season hot, having hit .429/.375/.857, though that’s a tiny sample size of eight plate appearances in three games. He only hit .236/.295/.400 during Spring Training so it’s tough to draw any meaningful conclusions from the good results in three regular season games.
Despite the imperfections in his game, it’s surprising to see Ruiz get sent down rather than stick around for more reps in the majors. The club isn’t expected to be competitive this year and will largely be using the 2024 season to evaluate players to determine the path forward. The majority of the position players on their active roster can be optioned, with J.D. Davis, Abraham Toro and Nevin the only exceptions.
Ruiz has clearly been a priority for the club but will now go get his at-bats at the Triple-A level as the club assesses whether he can find another level at the plate or not. Depending on the length of his stay, it could have repercussions for his path to free agency and/or arbitration. He came into this season with one year and 29 days of service time, meaning that he could come up shy of the two-year mark if he’s down for a significant period of time. Players need six years of service to reach free agency and three years to automatically qualify for arbitration, though some can reach arbitration earlier as Super Two players.
Ruiz was the primary center fielder last year but has been in left field so far this year, with JJ Bleday in center. The departure of Ruiz will open up some left field playing time for guys like Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker and Nevin.
Uhhhh
Oh c’mon, delete comment if you may, but seriously… Esteury?
Hopefully there is a sane DR explanation….yet…?
I just don’t get it since the team is projected to win 15 games might as well play the guy you have a lot of stock in idk
They’ll win 16 now.
There’s a “conspiracy” about the last dive bar. It sells anti Fisher merch and supposedly Ruiz is one of several players that have been seen wearing wrist bands/bracelets from there. Word is everyone who has been caught on social media wearing one has either been traded, demoted, or at the very least benched.
Huh? Well, ok… Go A’s!!!
Ruiz is extremely hawt. He probably did the wild thing with the wrong person.
I think the patients are running the alyssum
Fisher doesn’t want his super 2 status to start.
Wow that’s the only good comment made thus far. Congrats. My iq dropped reading the rest
Uncle Buck username reference. I love that movie.
Go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!!!!
*flips a quarter on the desk
You’re not a rat are ya bug?
That’s what you get for leading the league in something as an A.
April Fool’s?
this is going to make a’s fans very unhappy … I’d be surprised if either of them showed up at the game tonight.
ROFLOL—Well played, Stat!
Well done. Audible laugh from me.
*yawn
The Carlos Mencia of the MLBTR community strikes again. DEE DEE DEE! You probably stole that joke from someone too.
An estimated 4,000 showed up for each of the A’s game’s and then didn’t enter the game. They stayed in the parking lot as a protest.
What a bunch of idjits.
Fools would be the people that would pay to watch a TEAM that the owner wants them to lose. Joe Brady is Dave Kaval burner account.
LOL! Are you one of the people spending their day in a parking lot?
To paraphrase one of the MLB lawyers, Fisher is either a threat to be ignored or promise to be embraced. Y’all hate Fisher and want MLB to force him to sell.
WTH do you think this is? Fisher is gone! You should be dancing in the streets. But, like I said, idjits.
Joe Brady = Dave Kaval burner account.
joe why are you jumping up and down right now about it?
Does Fisher own Joe. Sounds like it.??
Only idijit is Joe being Fisher’s lap dog here.
I couldn’t care less what Fisher does. And I don’t really know who David Kaval is.
But I think that people protesting in a parking, to force an owner that they hate, to keep a team in Oakland, is idiocy.
Their target should be to force Manfred to offer the Oakland franchise to Lacob and have him and Oakland build a state of the art facility.
Right now, you are begging for the crumbs that fall off of Fisher’s plate.
Getting optioned by the A’s is a career low point for anyone. Eustery is still young hopefully he can turn it back around has a lot of great tools still
Why?
In a measly 8 PAs, Ruiz is 3 for 7 with a SF and a SB.
I know Ruiz has a meager career MLB batting line, but Nevin is even worse, and Ruiz is an elite base stealer.
Maybe the A’s just needed a corner infielder more than an outfielder.
Oddsmakers say manipulation of service time to slash payroll and make sure that, if he works out, he’ll be around for the first couple Vegas years.
If that’s the case. This is 100% bs to do at this point. He was in MLB all last season and swiped a lot of bags. Nothing has changed in his game…and his agent and the union should be monitoring. One thing to keep a guy down before he debuts. Another to do this kind of f*ckery….enjoy what you’re getting Vegas.
I’m not sure Vegas even wants the A’s. From what I’ve seen so far, the enthusiasm is lukewarm at best.
sfgate.com/athletics/article/esteury-ruiz-optioned…
Okay, at least that makes sense.
The A’s have a 4 man bench with a catcher and 3 infielders – all of whom are listed as 3B.
Ok as long as they don’t lose their rights to him
3/7, 2R, 1RBI, 1SB. They’ve been sitting him, too. Must be the defense? Or something in the clubhouse?
It is the D – early metrics this season on him have been ugly, and the A’s already have enough OFs as is.
He fumbled one ball atleast on the wet turf the other night. Foot slipped. I’m actually starting to wonder of this is a way to play with the IL on a guy they wouldn’t normally send down…but not bet into issues like the Mets did.
The A’s have a 4 man bench with a catcher and 3 infielders listed as 3B.
Its about retribution against him and Rooker.
sfgate.com/athletics/article/esteury-ruiz-optioned…
Nevin who?
Phil Nevin unretires after failing to land management gig. A’s are happy to oblige and welcome the inevitable bumps in the road back to greatness for Phil.
If you bat over .400 you get optioned? Nice.
Yeah. As a Brewers fan, I really do have some interest in watching to see if he can develop. The Crew turned him so fast we didn’t get a chance to see what he had. But we got a pretty good catcher out of the deal!
Brewers really aren’t missing anything on him with they’re roster construct now. Squint and he’s Otis Nixon. I’m loving watching this Brewers team.
This is really strange; maybe he told the FO he doesn’t want to be an A anymore? Dude has actually looked pretty good.
Ruiz does not “look pretty good,” he is drop dead gorgeous!
Hahahahahah
Idiotic
Cue fantasy owners crying.
Great job basically trading a top 3 catcher and a late inning arm for him. Seems to be really worth it.
Optioning Esteury Ruiz is a blunder.
guys guys, the A’s don’t want to win. they’re backing into way too many wins with this guy on the team
Not happy with this at all . Estuary was one of the few A’s driving the ball in the gaps , and he has shown the knack of getting that RBI more often than not . I would’ve optioned Law Butler , and DFA Jordan Diaz fully redundant as a suspect bat with no glove to keep the extra long man on the 40 man roster , because the A’s are burning thru the bullpen early .
Woah, woah, woah, it seems like everybody’s over-reacting here. They did not get rid of him! He will be back soon enough. They are trying to gather as many assets as they can at this point, and Ruiz has options. No harm at all making a move to take a look at Nevin. Also, this is absolutely about Ruiz’s defense. 1 early commentor was correct about this. To have that kind of elite speed but not be able to play centerfield: he has a hard time getting a read on balls. He’s going down to AAA to work on that. This is simple.
Absolutely right. This is about giving Nevin , who is out of options an extended audition. Not like it’s going to affect the A’s playoff chances. If Nevin struggles he winds up back on the waiver wire. If he does well they will find a way to bring back Ruiz. Nice thing about being in the basement is there is no place to go but up. Back when the Orioles were rebuilding ( tanking) they were constantly claiming guys on the waiver wire. Expect the A’s to do the same
I mean this makes absolutely zero sense, ridiculous
They were platooning him. At least going to AAA he’ll get regular work where he can may be work on that OBP as to not become the next Billy Hamilton.
He’s not really a good CF. I wonder if they consider making him convert back on second base but he’d also be blocked by gelof. I wouldnt be against flipping ruiz for another decent but flawed piece at a different position.
They gave up on Pache, a really good glove with an inconsistent bat, while he’s stuck in PHI as a 4th OF. Can OAK not round out their talent? It’s a hypothetical question. We know the answer.
Hard to look for 4th OF types when you are still looking for the first 3.
He must have said the wrong thing about somebody’s mama in the wrong company. Only way this makes sense.
I heard when maxine waters visited the team he asked which end he was addressing.
*coffee spit take!*
Aye, well done ye Cap’n Silver!
does this make sense to anybody?
God mlb needs to step in and remove Fisher as owner.
I’ll ask you what I kinda asked my nephew… have your Sox reached second base yet?
With their wives? Doubtful
On the baseball field? Not even close.
Lol
Wow, this team can’t even rebuild right. Thought he was their top prospect they got after trading all those all stars.
Service time manipulation? He’s under 172 days
Yep.
I think they’re just pausing his service time. They aren’t competitive right now, and they’re just saving him for three years down the road.
Sending him to Vegas to get the lay of the land before the big move.
A’s are a joke. He’s one of the best players they have.
Right, option one of the only guys on the roster that deserves regular playing time. One of the most prolific base stealers in the league
Nepo baby Tyler Nevin finds yet another opportunity.
What the A’s need to bring back is “making the pitchers throw strikes” mentality….this has worked well with our teams in the past….let’s go boy’s!!
Tyler Nevin is like a Siren. He lures you in with his solid AAA numbers and then drags the team down to the bottom of the ocean with his crappy MLB stats when he gets to the show. Strictly a AAAA player. I’m glad he isn’t soaking up at bats from youngsters in Detroit this year.
Billy Hamilton?
I was thinking the same thing…
But without the defense.
I was going to say, wasn’t Billy good in the field???
He was elite. He was even better than Jackie Bradley at one point.
Ruiz is a fast dude and that’s about it. He has only really been playing outfield since 2021, so it makes sense to send him down to at least become worth a roster spot from a defensive standpoint. Right now he isn’t.
MLB.com predicted he’d lead the league in SBs this year.
Did they specify which league?
MIND. BOGGLING.
Itd be a GREAT time for the team to walk out. This is ridiculous.
one of the only good players on the As lmao
Cannot make certain to lose games if you keep a top of lineup player hitting .429 and stealing bases.
David Forst and Eric Kubota. Man, the moves they make are brutal.
They were regarded as one of the two smartest organizations in the game along with the Rays for years. What happened?
He had a negative bWAR last year despite leading the league in SBs. It’s not a loss, yet they’re not going to win so why not let him play to see if he can improve in year two?
I’m not one to nitpick journalism, but jeesh. Do you guys need a writer who actually follows the game? 1) Ruiz hasn’t been a key part of the roster for recent years because he has been there for exactly 1 season, and 2) he has not been a priority for the team. His playing time actually decreased last year as the season went on. Even as bad as the A’s are this move shouldn’t truly shock anyone. The writing was on the wall.
That’ the only thing I cam in for.
“Ruiz, 25, has been a key component of the Oakland roster in recent years,”
He only got here last year. Doesn’t anyone re-read these articles before posting?
Ruiz is one of the few exciting players on the team. He hit fairly well and was crazy on the base paths. Nevin has done nothing and is unlikely to change. Tonight the A’s already have 3 errors by the second inning. I think the 2024 A’s are going to make 2023 feel like a fond memory. This team and especially the ownership are clueless. SELL THE TEAM JOHN FISHER. Vegas isn’t the answer.
He’s much more relevant in fantasy baseball than he is in real life.
Was*
Three teams, three negative bWARs.
But according to MLB-R, he was “key component of the Oakland roster in recent years”.
But in reality, a .654/88+ without a glove, is not all that valuable. SBs might be the most overrated stat in baseball.
I’m beginning to wonder if this is a new way to hide a player now without manipulating the IL. I’m not gonna give the A’s that kind of credit.
The whole service time thing seems like a ridiculous way to make a 2nd year player angry.
Ok, according to the team the plan was to start the season with him in AAA. But injuries forced their hand. They have some bad match-ups coming up for him. They have a plan that he’ll work on his obp. It was .309 last year. That’s a legit concern. But this is the A’s right now…it’s perfectly reasonable to question anything coming from them.
Ruiz is one of two A’s players that wore gear from The Last Dive Bar, a fan organization calling for Fisher to sell, that were both demoted.
Its hard not to see the reason for the move. The A’s ownership is the trashiest in the sport.
sfgate.com/athletics/article/esteury-ruiz-optioned…
What the A’s have done in retribution to these two players is below low.
Yup. most companies would’ve just fired them.
Can’t when you have a union. That is why unions are good for workers.
They also can’t because Ruiz has value. They won’t shoot themselves in the foot. But badmouthing the company owner is generally a bad idea.
They already shot themselves in the foot. Of the 2 players that wore last dive bar wristbands this year they sat arguably their best hitter last year and demoted Ruiz who had been their best hitter this year. “#wristbandgate is real”
Why would you think the A’s do anything that would make the team better? They haven’t shown any indication of that. They have been intentionally tanking for several years.
I’m sure wristgate is real, and assume that’s why they demoted him. But he has too much value to let him go.
is it a coincidence that the A’s made five errors the night The manager ruined his clubhouse? I don’t think so. Phil Nevin Is Mark Kotsay’s Best friend. He has known Tyler, his whole life. When Phil’s weak hitting son was cast off by Baltimore and needed a job, Kotsay took care of him. There will be many roster changes for the Oakland Athletics this season, but Tyler Niven’s roster spot is the safest in the organization. it is stunning to watch a team day and day out that doesn’t give a damn about winning.
is it a coincidence that the A’s made five errors the night
========================
Putting Baty in CF certainly didn’t help. But they might not be a very good team anyway.
What in the actual F@ck?!!! Cut Rooker! He will strike out 300 times this season if given the chance, which I’m sure he’ll be given because that POS owner John Fisher loves losing in Oakland
Benching Rooker is as punitive as the A’s can get with him for wearing the FU Fisher wristbands without the MLBPA getting involved. Fisher is not going to do that because he would have to hire a lawyer; which cost money he would prefer to spend on his car payment and home heating bill.
The move is probably designed to allow the A’s to hold onto Ruiz for an extra year before he hits free agency. He entered the season at 1.029 years of major league service, so he only needs to stay at AAA long enough that he finishes 2024 with less then two full years of major league service.