The Los Angeles Dodgers were strongly represented in the 2018 MLB Futures Game, as top positional prospects Yusniel Diaz and Keibert Ruiz showcased their talents on the World team.
Diaz was penciled into the No. 3 spot in the starting lineup and put on a power display at the plate, homering twice in five at-bats. Both home runs served as game-tying blasts in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, though Team USA ultimately pulled out a 10-6 victory when it was all said and done.
Ruiz entered the game in the fifth inning as a defensive replacement and caught all of 1.1 innings before exiting the game with a swollen right hand. The 19-year-old suffered the injury after a foul tip off the bat of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim prospect Jo Adell skimmed his throwing hand in the top of the seventh.
Ruiz underwent precautionary X-rays afterward but evidently dodged further bad news as they came back negative, via Kyle Melnick of MLB.com:
Dodgers prospect Keibert Ruiz left Sunday afternoon’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which Team USA won, 10-6, at Nationals Park in the seventh inning with a swollen right hand. X-rays on Ruiz’s hand came back negative.
While it was a disappointing turn of events for Ruiz in the Futures Game, he can take solace in the fact that he dodged a significant injury with merely a bruise on his hand, rather than a fracture or break.
When Ruiz is deemed healthy enough to return to game action, he’ll presumably head back to Double-A Tulsa, where he has appeared in 66 games this season.
In 275 plate appearances at the level, Ruiz is hitting .247/.313/.390 with nine doubles, nine home runs and 27 RBI. While those numbers represent a drop-off from last season, he continues to put the ball in play and has drawn nearly as many walks (16) than strikeouts (20).
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