(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Darin Ruf, acquired by the New York Mets in 2022 for the second half, could never get going in Queens.
To say that would be an understatement: he played 29 games last year with the Mets, and the results were awful.
In 74 plate appearances, he slashed a poor .152/.216/.197 with no home runs and a 27 percent strikeout rate.
Fans, naturally, didn’t want him on the 2023 Opening Day roster.
Their wish was granted on Monday.
News: The Mets have designated Darin Ruf for assignment. Tim Locastro wins the team’s final bench spot.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 27, 2023
He had a rough stint with the Mets – no pun intended – and spring training wasn’t any better, with a .167/.265/.233 line.
It was clearly time for a change, for all parties involved.
Fans were ecstatic to see Ruf not making the team.
Thanks @fan_cornell for your retweet. We hope Darin Ruf catches on somewhere where it won’t hurt the @Mets. Korea, maybe? Taiwan?
.@Mets DFA Darin Ruf https://t.co/LvAfUicyUG
— Big Red Ruckus (@BigRedRuckus) March 27, 2023
Ty for getting rid of Darin Ruf
— Joe (@EndweII) March 27, 2023
The comments about Ruf were overwhelmingly negative – some of them even offensive, which is not the way to treat a human being.
However, there were some positive ones, too.
It’s a fluke spring training, Locastro isn’t good. He’s a less accomplished Terrence Gore.
Darin Ruf isn’t washed. It’s just another bad move by Eppler.
— Alex Harrison (@AlexHarrison12) March 27, 2023
Ruf is 36, but had a .904 OPS as recently as 2021, when he was with the San Francisco Giants.
We don’t know if he is “washed” or not, but he definitely did not look good in spring training or in the second half of 2022.
He would actually be a nice pickup for a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Oakland Athletics, where he doesn’t block anyone and can re-establish his value.
If he can do that, he could be flipped to a contender around the deadline.
Ruf’s status as a premium power bat may be coming to an end, but it might be too early to declare him retired yet.
He will try to get a minor league contract elsewhere, with an eye on contributing in the majors soon.
The post Fans React To Today’s Darin Ruf News appeared first on The Cold Wire.