A forgettable season for the Philadelphia Phillies grew even more frustrating on Saturday when the team announced that catcher Carlos Ruiz was placed on the 15-day disabled list with plantar fascitis in his left foot.
At 47-59 and 16 games behind the first place Washington Nationals in the National League East, the Phillies are long out of contention for a post-season spot. Injuries have been a key factor as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco and Vance Worley have all missed significant time.
The 33-year-old Ruiz, who has a $5 million team option for 2013 that will likely be picked up, is hitting a career-high .335 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI and a .959 OPS. He has been an important run producer for a lineup that was without Howard and Utley for much of the season.
The Phillies are lean in the catching department without Ruiz. Brian Schneider, a 35-year-old career backup, and journeyman Erik Kratz, will share the team’s backstop duties.
Schneider is hitting .229 in 70 at-bats this season while the 32-year-old Kratz has a .348 average and three home runs in 23 at-bats.
A 29th round pick of the Blue Jays out of Eastern Mennonite University in 2002, Kratz had 34 at-bats (hitting .114) with Pittsburgh in 2010 and was 2-for-6 in a brief stint with the Phillies last season. He has spent most of his 11-year professional baseball career in the minor league systems of the Blue Jays, Pirates and Phillies.
Ruiz was replaced on the Phillies roster by utility player Hector Luna, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Ruiz joins pitchers Jose Contreras, Michael Stutes, Raul Valdes and David Herndon; and Polanco (an infielder) on the current Phillies DL.
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