The Astros signed free agent outfielder Justin Ruggiano to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Ruggiano elected free agency one week ago today, after the Rays designated him for assignment.
Ruggiano appeared in 46 games for the Rays last year, playing all three outfield positions. The 29-year-old posted a .248/.273/.400 line in 111 plate appearances. Ruggiano, who also played for the Rays in 2007-08, is not yet arbitration eligible. The native of Austin, Texas has a .295/.376/.486 in eight minor league seasons.
who’s he?
Hope Ruggiano finds some at-bats in Houston.
Yeah, because the Astros lineup is stacked. Gonna be hard to fit him in.
Stop the presses…..the Astros rebuilding is complete!
Good minor league numbers, but seems to not have quite put it all together in the pro level yet. Good signing though. Low risk, medium-high reward.
Ruggiano never got a chance to play with any regularity with the Rays. He’s a good fielder and there were too many in front of him with the Rays. Astro fans will be pleasantly surprised.
agreed hes pretty decent if he received 500 at bats i foresee a 270 hitter 20 15 to 20 homers and 80 rbis with maybe 10 sbs cuz on the astros hes got to put himself in scoring position
He plays really solid defense. I’ve seen him make some great catches. Given the chance to play more will help him alot.
Astros have done a good job scouring the bin for some AAAA players like Ruggiano, Brad Snyder, Travis Buck and Jordan Brown. If nothing else, it provides them with depth at AAA. As Jeff Luhnow said, he needs to fill out an outfield in the majors and in Oklahoma City (AAA). In the majors, he has 3 outfielders who were rookies last year (Martinez, Bogusevic, Shuck) and a couple who have only played 2-3 years (Bourgeois, Schafer). Jack Cust was added to the mix to provide some veteran presence at the major league level. In AAA, the tree was thin as most of the Astros top prospects are in AA and A ball, so this is a good way to fill out rosters and at the same time you never know one of these guys might finally break the AAAA barrier.
Astros!you done a great job please keep it up.My best wishes is for you
I like this guy but im not sure hes a great fit, They already have 3 to 4 quality outfield prospects and Carlos Lee so will just have to wait and see. Otherwise its a good pick up for the Astros
Go 2015 Astros!
It is unfortunate for the Rays that he became a free agent. He is a good prospect with a higher ceiling than many in the Ray’s system. Desmond Jennings also did well in AAA and looked like for a while that he could not handle the majors only to right his ship during his last stint during the Sept. call-up. He is now on our 25-man roster. Ruggiano may surprise many for he is close to major league ready and comes with a good set of tools. He is definitely worth a look.