Ruiz activated off IL, Martinez still wants to find playing time for Adams

Keibert Ruiz is back on the Nationals’ active roster, and back in the starting lineup for the first time in more than two weeks.

Ruiz, who was sidelined with a bad case of influenza, was activated off the 10-day injured list this afternoon and immediately placed in the lineup for the team’s series finale against the Dodgers. He’ll catch and bat fifth.

To make room for Ruiz on the active roster, the Nats optioned Drew Millas back to Triple-A Rochester. Millas wound up catching only one of the eight games the team played while Ruiz was on the IL, with Riley Adams starting the other seven.

Ruiz initially tried to fight through his illness, remaining on the roster for nearly a week but unable to play. The Nationals finally placed him on the IL when his condition hadn’t improved enough, and after he had lost 18-to-20 pounds.

Ruiz felt better enough to go on a short rehab assignment this week with Double-A Harrisburg. He caught both Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, going 1-for-9 and even stealing a base. As encouraging as that was, the team is still somewhat concerned about his ability to put weight back on while dealing with the demands of catching in the big leagues.

“I think it would be kind of hard, because he’s a catcher,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And he sweats a lot. A lot, a lot. My big thing is his strength. I just want to make sure he’s hydrated, and that we keep a real close eye on him. Because it is a demanding job, going out there and catching nine innings every day.

“I want him to gain some weight back. Not necessarily all of it, but some would be good.”

Given that, Martinez said he may watch Ruiz’s workload here in the next week or two, perhaps giving him more true days off or having him DH to take some pressure off him.

It helps that Adams did such a nice job filling in over the last two weeks.

“Great job,” Martinez clarified.

Typically limited to one or two games a week at most, Adams wound up catching 11 of the Nationals’ last 13 games, delivering a .793 OPS while also impressing the staff with his defensive work behind the plate. They don’t want him to lose that momentum by sitting idle on the bench again.

“We’re definitely going to use him,” Martinez said. “One, let him catch. And two, we can also DH Keibert like we’ve done in the past and let him continue to catch. He’s done a great job. He’s learned a lot over the years. He’s really coming into his own. It’s good to have him, to watch him play and to watch him get better every day he’s out there.”

* The Nationals activated Stone Garrett off the 10-day IL and optioned him to Rochester, a procedural move that gives the outfielder more time to complete his return from a broken leg. Garrett was already on a rehab assignment with the Red Wings, so he'll continue playing with them while getting himself back into full baseball shape.