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Carlos Ruiz's days as a Phillie may be numbered

CHICAGO - There is a chance, within the next week, that Carlos Ruiz's time with the Phillies will come to an end. The 37-year-old catcher has produced in a part-time role. He is the sort of veteran player contending teams look to acquire at this time of year.

CHICAGO - There is a chance, within the next week, that Carlos Ruiz's time with the Phillies will come to an end. The 37-year-old catcher has produced in a part-time role. He is the sort of veteran player contending teams look to acquire at this time of year.

Or not.

"I don't know," Ruiz said Wednesday. "Maybe it's possible. Maybe it's not. Depending on how everything goes, it's possible. So far there's nothing. I don't know. I'm still happy here. It was something I was thinking early in the season to now. We'll see what happens."

Ruiz, according to an ESPN.com report, has cleared revocable trade waivers. So, too, did Ryan Howard. But that was a fait accompli, given the approximate $16 million remaining on his contract. Howard is all but certain to stay with the Phillies through October.

But Ruiz could entice others. Phillies officials, a source said, have in recent days gauged Ruiz's interest in going to a contender. Ruiz had started four of six games before Wednesday, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said that was purely "coincidental."

The catcher, who has full no-trade rights, has been candid in his desire to play for one more shot at the postseason. That will happen in 2016 only through a trade.

"I'd like to go and win this thing," Ruiz said. "It's going to be a tough decision you'll have to make. But baseball continues, life continues, and I have to continue to work."

Ruiz entered Wednesday with a .368 on-base percentage in 48 games. It is his highest rate since 2012, when he made the all-star team. The Phillies hold a $4.5 million option on Ruiz for 2017, and they are sure to decline it.

But Ruiz plans to play next season. If anything, a decreased workload has proven that he can still add value to a club.

"The key to both him and Howie is they both accepted lesser roles this year in a real professional way," Mackanin said. "That's really helped them. They're still battling, which is to their credit. That has helped them a lot. I have played them both enough to where they have enjoyed some success. It's good to see."

"When I stop, it's going to be something my body is going to tell me when to stop," Ruiz said. "Right now, I feel great."

Extra bases

Mackanin said Jake Thompson will make his next start, as scheduled, Monday against Washington. . . . The Phillies signed a four-year extension to their player-development contract with low-A Lakewood, which will go through the 2020 season. The BlueClaws have been a Phillies affiliate since their 2001 inception. . . . The White Sox announced on Wednesday a new naming-rights deal to change their ballpark from U.S. Cellular Field to Guaranteed Rate Field. The 13-year deal is effective Nov. 1.

mgelb@philly.com @mattgelb