Spring Training: New York Mets' Darin Ruf Limited by Wrist Arthritis

New York Mets designated hitter Darin Ruf will be limited for the next few days as he deals with a nagging wrist injury. Ruf is dealing with arthritis in his wrist, and received a cortisone shot, but he is not worried about the injury hindering him long-term.

New York Mets designated hitter Darin Ruf will be limited for the next few days as he deals with a nagging wrist injury. Ruf is dealing with arthritis in his wrist, and received a cortisone shot, but he is not worried about the injury hindering him long-term.

"I got an MRI and it showed some arthritis in my wrist, so hopefully the cortisone will help," Ruf told reporters Tuesday. "(I'm) not concerned. I'll be swinging in a couple of days."

Ruf split time with Daniel Vogelbach at the designated hitter position for the Mets, down the stretch of last season. Ruf faced left-handed pitchers and Vogelbach saw time against righties. This season, both players should see time in the DH spot, with newly-signed outfielder Tommy Pham also being in the mix.

The Mets acquired Ruf from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for J.D. Davis, Carson Seymour, Nick Zwack and Thomas Szapucki, prior to the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Ruf struggled to find his footing in New York, after moving from the west coast to the east coast. Ruf batted just .152, with a .216 On Base Percentage, .413 OPS, zero home runs and seven RBI.

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Ruf in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Creighton University. After playing his first handful of Major League seasons for the Phillies, Ruf found a home playing in the KBO League in South Korea from 2017 through 2019.

Ruf returned to the United States in 2020, signing a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants. In his first two seasons with the Giants, Ruf excelled, slashing .272/.381/.900 with 21 home runs and 61 RBI over 157 games.

Ruf is hoping to return to form in his first full season in New York, in 2023.

"I think midseason trades are tough on anybody," Ruf said. "I think performance stems from being comfortable, being in a rhythm, and I think whenever a midseason trade happens it affects people differently. I think my performance (in 2022) suffered from that."

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