Darin Ruf Elects Free Agency

The Giants announced that Darin Ruf has cleared waivers, and elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A (hat tip to MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado).  Ruf was designated for assignment earlier this week, and due to his Major League service time, he was eligible to reject the outright assignment and re-enter the open market.

Ruf’s second stint in San Francisco began when the Mets released him in early April, and Ruf rejoined the Giants on a minor league deal.  While he was pretty quickly selected onto their big league roster, Ruf only appeared in nine games before being placed on the 10-day injured list due to right wrist inflammation.  The Giants activated him from the injured list on the same day of his DFA.

Though in a brief sample size of 27 plate appearances, Ruf hit a respectable .261/.370/.348, mostly in his usual role against left-handed pitching.  Ruf has mashed southpaws for most of his nine MLB seasons, so between these splits and his ability to chip in as a first baseman and corner outfielder, there stands a pretty good chance that Ruf can catch on with another team.  Even with the Giants’ love of platooning and matchups, their roster is crowded enough that Ruf apparently didn’t want to wait in Triple-A for another opportunity to open up in San Francisco.

Ruf’s return to free agency doesn’t impact his salary, as the Mets are still responsible for the bulk of the $3.5MM he is owed for the 2023 season.  A new team will only have to pay Ruf the prorated portion of the minimum Major League salary, as the Giants did during his short time on their roster.