Return so close for Ruiz, he can almost taste it

READING - A lot of things have changed in the decade since Carlos Ruiz last played a game here.

The 62-year-old ballpark is still the oldest in the Double A Eastern League, but instead of the Phillies, the team is now named the Fightin Phils and has a boxing ostrich as a mascot - as well as two real ones - Ruth and Judy.

But if Ruiz were going to have his two-game tuneup at any place in the Phillies' system, Reading would be the place.

It was 2004 in Reading when the then-25-year-old catcher from Panama first caught the eye of the organization as a serious major league prospect.

After never hitting better than .280 and totaling only 14 home runs in his first 270 minor-league games, Ruiz hit .284 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI in a 101-game Double A season.

A little less than two seasons later, Ruiz made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2006. By 2007, he was their full-time catcher.

"This ballpark really gives me a lot of good memories," Ruiz said Friday night as he played catcher for the Fightin Phils against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. "This ballpark that's when I feel I got real close to the major leagues."

The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster in 2004.

"It's good memories for me at this ballpark," he said, thinking back to that time. "When I got here, I saw how much stuff they've done to the ballpark. It looks real nice."

Ruiz could use some good memories to help erase the darkest chapter of his career. He's in Reading for two games because he is finishing up a 25-game suspension from Major League Baseball for testing positive for amphetamines. He went 0-for-4 Friday night. After another game tonight, Ruiz will join the big club tomorrow in New York against the Mets.

"It's been a little hard for me," Ruiz said of spending the first month of the season in extended spring training while the Phillies have gotten off to a slow start. "Definitely, I would like to be with the team. I want to help the ballclub win games.

"But now, it's just about over. I'm real close, and I can't wait to see [Sunday]. It was tough, but at the same time, you had to prepare yourself to be ready for when you came back.

"I'm not happy with what happened, but there was nothing I could do except work every day."

It's hard to say what Friday night in Reading meant. Ruiz did most of his preparation in Clearwater, Fla.

But for a Phillies offense that has struggled to find its way during the early part of the season, the hope is that the righthanded-swinging Ruiz, who hit .325 with 16 home runs in 2012, can add some juice.

"Chooch is coming on Sunday," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "He's in great shape, and he's played plenty of games. We're just making sure that he's sharp when it's time to come.

"There's no question that we're struggling. More than anything else, [Ruiz] brings a lot of leadership to our club. Just having that there I think can help us. It certainly can't hurt us."

Because of the situation the Phillies find themselves in, there will be an inordinate amount of expectation for Ruiz' return to spark things.

But the reality is that nothing can change the fact that Ruiz hasn't seen major league pitching in an active game situation since the Phillies came north from spring training.

His swing might be further behind than the rest of the Phillies.

"I feel good," Ruiz said. "I've played a little bit in extended spring and I'm ready to go. I'm excited. The way my body feels, I feel strong.

"These games [in Reading] are a little different, because you're facing young kids in extended spring. When you come to Double A, you're going to see a lot more spice. I just want to get myself ready for the big leagues."

Ruiz said he is fine after getting hit in his right hand while in Florida. He said he is not looking to make a dramatic impact on the Phillies. Rather, he wants to help things return to normal.

"We have a lot of superstars and leaders on our team," he said. "I know my part. I try to play hard, go to the clubhouse and have fun. That's my plan.

"Every time I go to the ballpark, I'm relaxed. I try to make everybody laugh and have fun playing the game."

There will be a spotlight on Ruiz. A career year is questioned when you are later suspended for drug use.

"I don't think that was the case," said Ruiz, who could have avoided a suspension had he received a prescription for the attention-deficit-disorder medication he said caused him to test positive. "I put a lot of work in the offseason. There was nothing that that medication did for me.

"I know that I work real hard. That's what I do - this offseason, too, to prepare for this year. I'm ready and I'm going to see what happens."

Columns: ph.ly/Smallwood

Blog: ph.ly/DNL