Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Catcher Carlos Ruiz Will Miss 4-6 Weeks With Foot Injury
The news that the Philadelphia Phillies have placed catcher Carlos Ruiz on the disabled list shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as the All-Star catcher has been battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot for a few weeks.
He is expected to miss between four and six weeks after it was revealed that he has a partial tear in his foot. The injury will result in the Phillies bringing up first baseman Hector Luna from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
This season, Ruiz has been one of the best hitters in the National League. He ranked first in hit by pitches (14), fourth in batting average (.335) and offensive win percentage (.766), sixth in on base percentage (.399), slugging percentage (.559) and OPS (.959), eighth in doubles (28) and adjusted OPS+ (155), and ninth in runs created (71). He also has 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. All of that translated into the eighth best offensive WAR in the league.
Oh, and he’s been just as efficient on defense. He leads all National League catchers in putouts (694), assists (65), range factor (9.47) and caught stealings (32), and ranks second in games (90).
He’s been turning in arguably the greatest single-season by a catcher in franchise history, and now the 33-year old catcher will have about just 10 to 15 more games to play this season.
Brian Schneider and Erik Kratz will be the team’s catchers while Ruiz is out.
Schneider just returned on Friday from a sprained ankle that sidelined him for more than five weeks. He is batting just .229 with two home runs and five RBIs this season.
Kratz has been on fire in limited action, batting .348 with three home runs and six RBIs in 23 at bats.
This article was written by Bryn Swartz, the top writer for the Philadelphia Eagles and a featured NFL columnist on Rant Sports. Bryn has written more than 1000 articles in less than two years as a member of Rant Sports. His blog, Eagles Central, was named the 2010 Ballhyped Sports Blog of the Year. To read a portfolio of Bryn’s best work, click here.
