Oakland Athletics Send Esteury Ruiz to Minors Despite Red Hot Start to Season

Outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who owned a .429 batting average through the first weekend of the season, has been sent down to Triple-A by the Oakland Athletics.

Mar 14, 2024; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Esteury Ruiz (1) stretches before a Spring Training game. / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics have sent outfielder Esteury Ruiz to Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced Monday afternoon.

To fill out their major league roster, the A's have called up infielder Tyler Nevin. Oakland recently claimed Nevin off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, who designated him for assignment on Opening Day.

The decision to demote Ruiz is an interesting one, considering he put up solid numbers this past weekend in Oakland.

After coming off the bench and going 0-for-1 on Opening Day, Ruiz got the start in left field for game two of the regular season. Ruiz went 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a sacrifice fly.

Ruiz rode the bench Saturday, but played the entire series finale against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. He wound up going 2-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and two runs in the Athletics' 4-3 win.

Less than 24 hours later, however, Ruiz is headed back to the minors.

As it stands, Ruiz is batting .429 with a 1.232 OPS at the big league level so far this season.

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/MMDFxIgYPQ

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 1, 2024

Ruiz got his start with the Kansas City Royals, who signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. He got dealt to the San Diego Padres in 2017, then again to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the Josh Hader trade in 2022.

The Brewers flipped Ruiz to the Athletics a few months later in a three-team deal, and it didn't take long for him to become a lineup regular in 2023.

In 132 games last season, Ruiz hit .254 with five home runs, 47 RBI, 67 stolen bases, a .654 OPS and a 1.9 offensive WAR. Ruiz led all American League outfielders with eight errors, though, finishing the year with a -1.8 defensive WAR and -20 defensive runs saved.

Ruiz secured putouts on all three of his defensive chances this past weekend.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.