Ruiz leading off in attempt to be more selective at plate

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – There are added responsibilities that come with a $50 million contract extension, and Keibert Ruiz knows what awaits him now that he has committed to the Nationals for at least eight more years.

But do those responsibilities include becoming a leadoff hitter?

No, despite what Davey Martinez’s lineup card looks like today.

Ruiz is indeed batting first for the Nats’ exhibition game against the Astros, but it’s not something anyone should expect to see in the regular season.

The simple answer is that Martinez wants to make sure Ruiz gets a chance to take as many at-bats as possible while catching the fewest number of innings possible before departing for the day.

“I don’t want him catching seven innings to get three at-bats,” the manager explained.

There is more to it than that, though. Martinez and Nationals hitting coach Darnell Coles have been trying to teach Ruiz to be more selective at the plate, doing a better job picking the right pitch to hit in each of his at-bats. By having him bat first today, they hope he’ll take more of a leadoff hitter’s mindset to the plate with him.

“I want him to really understand the strike zone and what he can do when he gets pitches in the zone,” Martinez said. “We looked up some stuff, and strikes in the zone, he hits the ball really well. He makes good, hard contact. So get him up there, let him see some pitches and let him focus on just getting on base and not trying to do too much.”

Ruiz has excellent contact skills, maybe best on the team. But that can be a detriment at times when he reaches to hit a breaking ball just off the plate or even on the corner and produces weak contact. The Nationals want him focusing more on fastballs in his preferred location: down in the zone, to either side of the plate.

“But if you’re constantly hitting 0-1, 0-2, you’re not going to get those pitches,” Martinez said. “We want him to start understanding the count works in your favor. You’ve got to be a little more patient.”

To wit: Ruiz hit only .217 last season after falling behind in the count 0-1, with a paltry .528 OPS. Those numbers went up to .266 and .763 after a 1-0 count, then .294 and .839 after a 2-0 count.

* Victor Robles returned to full baseball activities today, participating in all pregame workouts. The center fielder, out since banging his left knee against the wall making a catch Wednesday, is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday barring any complications.

* Carter Kieboom, whose return from last year’s Tommy John surgery was slowed down last week after he reported shoulder soreness, is participating in most drills again. Martinez said the third baseman just isn’t making throws across the diamond yet.

* Sean Doolittle has resumed throwing after taking a step back earlier this spring in his recovery from last summer’s elbow surgery. The left-hander is ramping his arm back up as planned. He won’t be ready for Opening Day, but the club intends for the reliever to be able to make it through the rest of the season with no restrictions once he gets through this program.