by Cary Osborne
The Dodgers added the 2023 American League stolen base champion in a trade on Wednesday.
Los Angeles acquired outfielder Esteury Ruiz from the Athletics in exchange for Minor League right-handed pitcher Carlos Duran. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt to the 60-day injured list.
Ruiz, 26, will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 2023, he finished his rookie season leading the league with 67 stolen bases in 80 attempts and hitting .254/.309/.345/.654 with 24 doubles and five home runs.
He was designated for assignment on March 30. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Royals on July 3, 2015 out of Azua, Dominican Republic. Ruiz began his professional career at second base.
He ranked in the 97th percentile in sprint speed in 2023 and 95th percentile in baserunning run value, according to Statcast. Last season he ranked in the 95th percentile in sprint speed, though he battled wrist and knee injuries during the season. He had arthroscopic right knee surgery in September.
Ruiz has 255 stolen bases in 544 career Minor League games. According to Fangraphs, he has two Minor League options, giving the Dodgers flexibility with his roster status.
Duran, 23, has a 4.06 ERA in 82 minor league games. He was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on March 8, 2018.
Dodgers acquire 2023 AL stolen base champ Esteury Ruiz was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.