Recently DFA'd SF Giants slugger signs one-year deal with Brewers

After a short stint back with the SF Giants, corner bat Darin Ruf has signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Marc Delucchi | May 16, 2023

Recently DFA'd SF Giants slugger signs one-year deal with Brewers /

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The Milwaukee Brewers signed corner bat Darin Ruf to a one-year contract on Monday. Ruf had been with the SF Giants organization but became a free agent after he was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Casey Schmitt (Giants #3 prospect). Ruf will step in for Brewers slugger Luke Voit who went on the injured list with a strained neck to clear a spot on the active roster for Ruf.

Ruf was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round of the draft back in 2009. Ruf made his MLB debut in 2012, hitting .240/.314/.433 with 35 home runs in 833 plate appearances over the next five seasons. However, relegated to a platoon/bench bat role by the end of his tenure in Philadelphia, he found it difficult to receive a big-league contract he wanted. So, Ruf traveled across the Pacific Ocean to play with the Samsung Lions in the KBO (Korea's top baseball league).

Ruf worked on some swing changes while he was in Korea and returned stateside in 2020 on a minor-league contract with the Giants. By the end of the season, he emerged as one of the best hitters on the roster, particularly against left-handed pitching. The following season, as the Giants won 107 regular-season games, Ruf hit .271/.385/.519 with 13 doubles and 16 home runs in 312 plate appearances.

In 2022, however, Ruf began to take a step back. Playing every day for the first time since he joined the Giants, he hit just .216/.328/.373 before he was traded at the deadline to the New York Mets for J.D. Davis and a trio of pitching prospects. Once he arrived in New York, his productivity collapsed. Ruf's Mets career ended after just 74 plate appearances, where he posted a .152/.216/.197 triple-slash.

Ruf returned to the Giants on a minor-league deal and had some exciting highlights, but still performed in line with his mediocre 2022. He was hitting .200/.333/.250 on a rehab assignment at Triple-A when the Giants decided to part ways with him. Our own JD Salazar thought Ruf looked stiff at the highest level of the minors.

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed Darin Ruf, likely as a short-term filler for right-handed slugger Luke Voit. With that said the former middle-of-the-order bat with the SF Giants will hope to figure things out at the plate and earn a more prolonged stay in the majors.

Published May 16, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).