Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz endures a trying season

MIAMI - The last season in which Carlos Ruiz caught fewer innings than he will in this one was when he first broke into the lineup by filling in for an injured Mike Lieberthal.

That was 2006, Lieberthal's final season with the Phillies, and the last year before this one in which Ruiz was not the team's primary catcher. In the seasons between, Ruiz won a World Series, played in an All-Star Game and handled one of the best starting staffs in modern baseball history. No one has caught more no-hitters than his four, and only three have caught more games in a Phillies uniform.

But with diminished skills at age 36 compared with his prime, Ruiz has recently been relegated to mostly spectator as Cameron Rupp handles the bulk of Phillies' young pitching staff. Between losing primary catching duties, the team's likely 100-loss campaign, and seeing longtime teammates Chase Utley and Cole Hamels traded as part of the Phillies' ongoing rebuild, this season has been a trying one for "Chooch."

"Definitely it was frustrating for myself to have that kind of year," said Ruiz, batting a career-worst .217 over only 272 at-bats entering Tuesday's series opener against the Marlins, one of only 12 games left on the Phillies' schedule. "So, next year I will do better and put up some good numbers to help the team to win."

Although the Phillies are amid a youth movement, Ruiz will likely be back next season. It will be the final season of the three-year, $26-million contract extension the Phillies signed him to before the 2014 campaign. Given his contract and decline in production, it would be difficult for the Phillies to move him over the winter.

At the same time, the Phillies' clear focus on rebuilding make it likely the beloved veteran will, at most, only split time with Rupp again in 2016. Ruiz said he is motivated to come back in spring training and recapture the starting role and would not necessarily be content as a No. 2. But he also understands the situation his longtime club faces.

"The only thing that I think for myself is to try to come back in good shape, be ready for spring training and show that I'm still good [enough] to be a No. 1," he said. "I don't know what's the case, if I'm going to be here or somewhere [else]. Who knows? But the only thing that I know is I have to come ready to go to have a better year."

Although he made his seventh opening day start this past April and caught 56 games in the first half, his time behind the plate since the all-star break has been limited to 22 games. He has started only five games this month. The younger the Phillies rotation has gotten, the more the 26-year-old Rupp has caught.

"[Ruiz] understands the situation," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "We want to find out as much as we can about Rupp to see where he fits in next year. Like I told Chooch, we know what he can do. He didn't have a good year offensively this year but we know who he is and what he brings to the table. He understands.

"Not necessarily next year, but we've got to make a transition at some point for a number of reasons. But especially with the state of affairs on the team, the record and all, it's a perfect opportunity to experiment with a lot of different guys."

Although he admitted this season has been difficult, Ruiz likes the Phillies' group of young players. He is a mentor to many, especially the team's young Latin American players. Starting or not, the Phils' elder statesman tries to keep his teammates relaxed.

During the Phillies' off-day in Atlanta on Thursday, Ruiz purchased a dog mask at a local mall. Before Friday night's series opener, he pulled the mask over his head, quietly dropped to all fours and snuck up behind Odubel Herrera, who, wearing headphones, was seated and facing his locker, as Rupp recorded video of the scene on his iPhone.

"It's not my year. . . . It's tough," Ruiz said. "But I really like the group, and that's one thing that I always try [to do], to keep everybody having a good time. I know it [stinks] because we lost some games, but that's part of the process" that the organization is in.

kaplanj@phillynews.com

@jakemkaplan