Carlos Ruiz is here to help
It's been a mediocre start for the Phillies offense through three weeks. They've collected 93 runs, tied for 19th in the majors. The slash line comes in at .252/.304/.385. Primary catcher Erik Kratz has been a mess, posting an ugly .191/.222/.309 contribution.
On Sunday, that latter problem is mercifully eliminated. Carlos Ruiz is finally walking through that door.
Ruiz was ineligible for the first 25 games of the year as he served an Adderall suspension. The time has run out and he's back in uniform Sunday, batting fifth against the Mets. Cole Hamels will be happy to see his old running mate.
It's not easy to get a definitive handle on who Ruiz is for fantasy purposes. He provided a solid average and marginal power in 2010-2011 before exploding into last year's career season (.325-56-16-68 over 114 games). He turned 34 in January. If you're satisfied with your current backstop and only need to start one, you can probably watch this story from the sidelines.
That said, I'm surprised Ruiz is owned in a mere 22 percent of Yahoo! leagues. I'd have no problem adding him right now in favor of a John Buck (no, it probably won't last), Evan Gattis (helluva story but what happens when McCann returns?) or Jesus Montero. You might feel differently, and that's cool – that's why we have a game. Sort through your backstops in the comments.
