Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Keibert Ruiz did more than make his big-league debut on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels. He also homered in his first career at-bat, smoking a 1-1 pitch from Julio Teheran into the right-field seats.
Take a look:
Ruiz, 22, was brought to the majors on Saturday after Will Smith was placed on the injured list because of an inflamed neck. Ruiz had split last season between Double- and Triple-A, hitting .261/.331/.347 with eight more walks (30 total) than strikeouts.
Prior to the season, CBS Sports ranked Ruiz as the third-best prospect in the Dodgers system. Here's what we wrote at the time.
Ruiz's age and obvious bat-to-ball skills make it easier to forgive some of his sins -- his free-swinging ways; his so-so production this season; his lack of power output. It's at least possible he puts it all together and becomes a high-grade hitter. Of course, it's also possible he has to maintain a high average to buoy an otherwise unremarkable line.
Ruiz's above-average mitt is expected to grant him a wide berth regardless of his bat. There does appear to be All-Star potential here if he can put everything together, however.
For the time being, the Dodgers are just hoping Ruiz is better than minor-league veteran Rocky Gale, the other real candidate to replace Smith on the active roster. The Dodgers do have two other backstops available to them in their 60-player pool, but neither Diego Cartaya nor Carson Taylor is ready for the Show: Cartaya is a teenager and Taylor was drafted in June.
Ruiz is the seventh Dodger to homer in their first big-league at-bat, and the first to do it since Garey Ingram in 1994, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
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August 17, 2020 at 05:43AM
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Dodgers catcher Keibert Ruiz homers in first career MLB at-bat - CBS sports.com
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