Seventeen minutes after sending out their lineup for Wednesday’s game against Oakland, the Giants revised it. This one, the correct one, flipped Darin Ruf and Wilmer Flores in the batting order.
Flores third, Ruf sixth. The tweak is more of an endorsement of Flores than a referendum of Ruf.
But it was a pointed move nonetheless. In the past week, Flores is hitting .370 with a home run and eight RBI. Ruf, sliding down in the lineup, has begun the season with 10 hits in 77 plate appearances. The most commonly used designated hitter in San Francisco’s lineup has a .154 batting average and no homers in 2022.
But Giants manager Gabe Kapler ensures there shouldn’t be any cause for concern for Ruf’s slow start.
“When Darin and I have discussed it, we’ve discussed that he’s unequivocally one of the best right-handed hitters on our team and probably one of the better right-handed hitters around baseball,” Kapler said. “So whether he has 70 at-bats or 150 or 250, he still feels like a guy that we’re going to want up in the biggest situation.”
“I don’t think there’s anything that I can see this season that would take me off that position,” Kapler added. “I mentioned it to Darin, but I’m not alone. It’s not me, it’s our entire staff, all of his teammates and I think the rest of the industry sees him that way as well.”
Ruf started the season with an opening series full of warning track fly balls and loud outs. It felt like he could have had at least two or three home runs, but came out of it empty-handed.
According to Baseball Savant, Ruf is in the 67th percentile in hard-hit rate and in the 60th percentile of average exit velocities. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is just .222 — well below the league average of roughly .300.
Ruf’s hits are finding gloves. The process has mostly been there, the results have not. That type of “failure” — really, unluckiness — can play with a hitter’s mind.
Kapler said there are lots of theories about the psychology of hitting swirling around. If Ruf had a stronger foundation of traditional stats, rather than just barrel rate, would he feel less pressure of a possible slump? Would he swing more confidently if just a couple of those shots that found gloves dropped instead?
“Just got to get through this mentally challenging portion of the season, and I think Darin is going to be just fine,” Kapler said.
- It doesn’t sound like LaMonte Wade Jr. (knee) will return to big league action this weekend. Wade is DH-ing Wednesday for the River Cats in his third rehab assignment game. Kapler said he wants Wade to get some reps at first base and play in back-to-back days before activating him.
- Tommy La Stella said he’s progressing well and has no setbacks to report. He’s still recovering from Achilles surgery from last October. La Stella has increased running intensity and has been fielding and hitting. He said his heel has responded well to the ramp-up.
- Kapler hopes La Stella and Evan Longoria (right index finger) can begin rehab assignments in about a week or so. Both took infield practice on the Oracle Park field during pregame warmups.
