The Giants have reportedly brought back Darin Ruf on a minor-league deal, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, bringing Ruf back to the franchise he was a part of before being traded to the Mets last summer.
With Ruf back with the Giants after a disastrous tenure in New York, the Giants can now say they acquired J.D. Davis, lefty Thomas Szapucki, and pitching prospects Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour, all for roughly half a season without Ruf.
Ruf posted a .701 OPS with the Giants last season, then managed a lowly .413 OPS in 28 games with the Mets in a failed platoon experiment alongside fellow deadline acquisition Daniel Vogelbach. After struggling badly in spring training, the Mets moved on from Ruf, who boasts an .891 career OPS against righties, a split that New York didn’t get to enjoy, but San Francisco will look to get back in 2023.
Szapucki was stellar for the Giants after being acquired for Ruf, pitching to a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings last season, but is now on the 60-day IL as the team tries to get more clarity on an upper arm injury that was initially diagnosed as neuropathy.
Seymour is currently ranked 17th in San Francisco’s farm system, per MLB.com, while Zwack is not in the organization’s top 30.
Meanwhile, Davis is off to a roaring start for the Giants this season, batting .353 with two home runs in 17 at-bats. He posted an .857 OPS in 49 games after being traded last season, up from the .683 OPS he held with the Mets before the deal for Ruf.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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