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Giants add Darin Ruf to MLB roster, option Sean Hjelle

Originally posted on FanNation Giants Baseball Insider
By Marc Delucchi | Last updated 4/12/23

The SF Giants have added right-handed slugger Darin Ruf to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the active roster prior to Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a corresponding move, the Giants optioned right-handed pitcher Sean Hjelle (Giants #28 prospect).

The Giants signed Ruf to a minor-league contract over the weekend, reuniting with a former offensive standout. Ruf had been released by the New York Mets after he was designated for assignment by them.

Ruf, who spent the first five years of his big-league career with the Philadelphia Phillies, revamped his swing during a stint in Korea and signed a minor-league contract with the Giants prior to the 2020 season. By the end of the season, he had emerged as one of the best sluggers on the team. In his first full season with the Giants, Ruf hit .271/.385/.519 with 13 doubles and 16 home runs in 312 plate appearances.

In 2022, however, after Ruf struggled to replicate that production. Playing every day for the first time since he had joined the Giants, Ruf hit just .216/.328/.373. With the Giants falling out of contention, the Giants traded him to the Mets at the trade deadline. 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.

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.

The SF Giants are desperate for right-handed bats right now with outfielders Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger both on the injured list. The Giants are set to face three straight left-handed starting pitchers over the next three games, which should give Darin Ruf an opportunity to get some at-bats. If he shows some flashes of his 2020-21 form, he could stick around for far longer. Otherwise, he will likely be designated for assignment in the coming weeks.

This article first appeared on FanNation Giants Baseball Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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