Darin Ruf was a key piece of the Giants’ attack against left-handed pitching from 2020 until last August, when they traded him to the Mets for J.D. Davis and pitching prospects.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Darin Ruf trade is still paying dividends for the Giants.
Saturday, the Giants signed Ruf to a minor league contract and will pay him only the league minimum salary after he was released by the Mets on April 2.
“We love Darin,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “Obviously, we have a lot of familiarity with him. With (injured outfielders) Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater needing a little time here and no timetable for them to actually go out on rehab assignments at this point, no specific date, it’s a good option for us to have some right-handed hitting depth in Triple-A.”
Ruf was a key piece of the Giants’ attack against left-handed pitching from 2020 until last August, when they traded him to the Mets for J.D. Davis and pitching prospects Carson Seymour, Thomas Szapucki and Nick Zwack.
But Ruf struggled with the Mets, hitting just .152 with a .413 OPS in 74 plate appearances. The first baseman/designated hitter was waived last week after the Mets decided to keep speedster Tim Locastro instead of Ruf on their Opening Day roster.
Because he went unclaimed on waivers, the Giants could sign him to a minor league deal and pay him the league minimum. The Mets are on the hook for Ruf’s $3 million salary in 2023 and a $250,000 buyout on his $3.5 million option for 2024.
Asked if the Giants take pride in winning that trade, Kapler said, “I don’t think we necessarily think about it like that at all.”
In parts of three years with the Giants, Ruf hit .248 with an .814 OPS and 32 home runs in 833 plate appearances. His .937 OPS against left-handed pitching during that span ranked sixth in MLB between Jose Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Giants are hoping they can rediscover some of that magic if they’re in need of another right-handed bat at some point this season.
“We’ll probably have some conversations with Darren and get a good handle on what he experienced in New York in the second half of last year and also what he experienced in spring training this year,” Kapler said. “We’d like to talk to Darren about that before we jump to any conclusions.”
The Giants also made some roster moves to address their catching situation on Saturday morning.
Roberto Perez, who was removed from the Giants’ 3-1 loss to the Royals on Friday after making an awkward throw to second base, was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain that will keep the 34-year-old backstop out indefinitely.
“I feel bad for Roberto,” Kapler said. “He worked so hard to get to this point. It’s challenging for our club to replace his veteran presence… He’s been a great teammate for all of us and it’s significant enough to put him on the 60-day IL immediately, which is disappointing for the organization and also for Roberto.”
At least catcher is a position the Giants have some depth at.
The Giants called up Austin Wynns, who had a .671 OPS for them last year, from Sacramento. Wynns will serve as a much-needed right-handed bat for the Giants as they expect to face a handful of left-handed pitchers in their upcoming games against the Dodgers and Tigers.
Former No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart (back strain) was sent out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento and will catch on Saturday and serve as the designated hitter on Sunday before the Giants re-evaluate his status.
Two-time All-Star Gary Sanchez, signed to a minor league deal last week, will get in his first game with Sacramento on Saturday as the DH. He’ll then catch on Sunday. The Giants want to see how he performs in the minors before they make any decisions. He reportedly can opt out of his contract if he’s not on the big league roster by May 1.
“Wynns is a really good option for us right now,” Kapler said. “Sanchez might become an option for us at some point in the near future. We’ll see how he does, how he performs at Triple-A and how his body responds. For right now, Austin is on our roster, we’re happy he’s on our roster and we’re looking forward to giving him an opportunity to perform.”
Also…
— Catcher Blake Sabol got the start on Saturday with lefty Sean Manaea on the mound. It is first Samoan battery in MLB history. While both players were born in the United States, Sabol’s mother was born Western Samoa while Manaea’s father was born in the eastern islands of American Samoa, as detailed by The Athletic in spring training.
— The Giants entered Saturday having not lost two straight home games to open a season since 2015.
— J.D. Davis was hitting third for the second time this season as the Giants prepared to go up against Royals right-hander Brady Singer. The Giants haven’t used the same three-hitter in consecutive games this season. Davis, Thairo Estrada, David Villar, Wilmer Flores and Joc Pederson have all rotated through.
