The SF Giants have signed corner bat Darin Ruf to a minor-league contract, according to a report by Jayson Stark of The Athletic. Ruf, of course, was a key contributor for the Giants from 2020-2022 before he was traded to the New York Mets at last year's trade deadline. However, Ruf struggled mightily with the Mets and was designated for assignment and subsequently released earlier this season.
The Giants acquired a four-player package for Ruf at last year's deadline, adding corner bat J.D. Davis alongside a trio of pitching prospects who all ranked among the top 30 prospects in the farm system: Carson Seymour (Giants #13 prospect), Thomas Szapucki (Giants #14 prospect), and Nick Zwack (Giants #30 prospect). Now, all five players included in the trade are in the Giants organization.
Ruf was drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Creighton University. Ruf made his big-league debut with Philadelphia in 2012, hitting .240/.314/.433 with 35 home runs in 833 plate appearances over the next five seasons. However, unable to garner a major-league contract after he became a free agent, Ruf traveled across the Pacific Ocean to play with the Samsung Lions in the KBO.
Ruf worked on some swing changes while he was in Korea and returned stateside in 2020, signing a minor-league contract with the Giants. Ruf emerged as one of the best sluggers on the Giants roster, in the pandemic-shortened season, setting the stage for a breakout 2021 campaign. 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 everyday for the first time since he had joined the Giants, he hit just .216/.328/.373 before he was traded. Once he arrived in New York, his productivity collapsed. Ultimately, Ruf's Mets career ended after just 74 plate appearances where he posted a .152/.216/.197 triple-slash.
Now back with the organization where he had the best success of his MLB career, Darin Ruf will hope to find his 2020-2021 form once again. He will likely begin his season with the organization's Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento and could rejoin the SF Giants at some point this season if he crushes the competition.
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