The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired outfielder Esteury Ruiz in a trade with the Athletics, the team announced Wednesday. In exchange, the Dodgers are sending right-handed pitcher Carlos Duran to the Athletics. Ruiz, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, had swiped 67 bases with Oakland in 2023.
The Dodgers acquired OF Esteury Ruiz from the Athletics in exchange for RHP Carlos Duran. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred RHP Kyle Hurt to the 60-day injured list.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 2, 2025
Dodgers Trade for Esteury Ruiz
Making Room
The 26-year-old Ruiz will be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. As a result, Los Angeles will transfer right-hander Kyle Hurt, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. The Dodgers now have seven pitchers on the 60-day IL.
Defensive Questions Abound
Ruiz has amazing wheels as his stolen base total testifies. However, apart from 2023 where his batting average was a respectable.254. Ruiz has struggled with the glove. He is at -20 Defensive Runs Saved. In addition, he was unable to maintain the offensive consistency in 2024. As a result, he was optioned to the minors in 2024. Shortly thereafter, Ruiz suffered a wrist injury which kept him on the I.L. for an extended period. He also had knee surgery last September. If Ruiz can make the offensive adjustments, the Dodgers could use him as a late-inning substitution.
What the A’s Are Getting
The Athletics are intent on improving their club, now that they are out of Oakland. Carlos Duran has been a diamond in the rough in the minor league system for Los Angeles. He has turned some heads now that he is fully healthy this season. His repertoire includes a sinker-slider combination. The sinker hovers around 95 miles per hour, and the slider can be hard to hit, due to Duran’s height at 6’7″ and long arm angles. In his last outing, he went 4 1/3 innings. He walked four, struck out eight, allowing three hits, and just one run.
Two baseball axioms seem to apply here. One: You can never have enough pitching. Two: Speed never slumps. It will be interesting to see which one benefits either team first.
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