Good news for Ruiz
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Good news for Ruiz
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Carlos Ruiz's trip back to Philadelphia to see hand specialst Dr. Randall Culp sounded ominous. But the news, according to the Phillies, is positive:
An MRI showed no structural damage to the catcher's sprained left wrist, and he could be back on the field within three to five days. Ruiz will be re-examined today, at which point he will likely have an anti-inflammatory shot. Once the shot does its work, Ruiz is expected to return to the lineup.
While Ruiz is not the most recognizeable player on the team, losing him would create huge voids behind the plate in the No. 8 spot in the lineup.
"It was actually good news because there was no structural damage," general manager Ruben Amaro said, "which is good, because wrists are tricky."
Ruiz has drawn rave reviews from the Phillies for his work behind the plate, both in his defense and his handling of a pitching staff that has posted a 3.62 ERA since June 1. He has also contributed at the plate, hitting .253 with a .353 on base percentage after suffering through a dismal 2008 in which those respective figures were .219 and .320.
Ruiz suffered the injury in the second inning Friday night when he blocked the plate and tagged out Diaz.
Prior to that game in Atlanta, he was hitting .320 with a .410 on base percentage, four home runs, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored in 37 games.
Ruiz caught all 17 games during the Phillies' playoff run last season.
"We can't afford to lose anybody that plays that much," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We're losing one of our starters. That's tough. It's hard to lose guys like that. Your catcher is very important to you."
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More updates:
1) Scott Eyre is available to pitch tonight and Manuel said he will not hesitate to use him.
2) Brett Myers is still scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.
3) J.C. Romero will throw an inning in an instructional league game tomorrow.
4) Chan Ho Park is in Clearwater and could take fielding practice within the next "several days" (Amaro's words). After that, the team will make plans to get him on the mound.
Let's hope he gets healthy fast. Ruiz is not an offensive powerhouse, but he handles the staff very well and has been very strong defensively this year. Go into the playoffs without him and you have to wonder if the pitching situation becomes questionable and the other teams look to steal.
Yikes.— B in DC- Ruiz has been an unsung hero for much of this season. Losing him would be huge. Bako has been OK at times, but he surely isn't the weapon that Ruiz is.— spadty
- Ruiz caught Moyer bec. Moyer uses a different set of signs than the other pitchers on the staff and Ruiz is better-suited to catch him. This could be serious.— 76er
- 76er who cares what moyer does he is off the team in 2 weeks— stoner156
- 76er who cares what moyer does he is off the team in 2 weeks— stoner156
- This is really scary news. Hope he's okay. I doubt this will help Lidge's confidence since Ruiz handles his slider better than most. He was a big part of the World Series win last year. I don't know that they have the depth to win without him. I guess we all need to keep our fingers crossed now. All of the injuries down the stretch this year make me appreciate how fortunate they were going into the playoffs last October.— kmon
- Stoner, Moyer will be on the roster. I gaurantee it.— PhillyPhan35
- Stoner, Moyer will be on the roster. I gaurantee it.— PhillyPhan35
- need him to catch Lidge— Dan is #1
- Well as long as you guarantee it, PhillyPhan...Finally, a trustworthy source!— Preserve Jon
- Hoover will get in there and suck it up.— mick314
- No Ruiz in the playoffs = No chance for the Phils. It's as simple as that. Sprained wrists linger, but he should be able to play through it unless it gets re-injured. Sit him down for a week then let him play a few games of the last series before the show starts.— sla6yer
- No Ruiz in the playoffs = No chance for the Phils. It's as simple as that. Sprained wrists linger, but he should be able to play through it unless it gets re-injured. Sit him down for a week then let him play a few games of the last series before the show starts.— sla6yer
- A good catcher is a leader, and Ruiz is very important to the performance of the pitching staff.— citizenkane
