Ruiz returns to lineup, Mercer begins rehab assignment

Keibert Ruiz's much-hyped Nationals debut came eight days ago, in the club's homestand opener against the Phillies, with fellow former Dodgers prospect Josiah Gray on the mound. Since then, the rookie catcher has gone a pedestrian 3-for-21 at the plate, started four games, fouled a ball off his right knee and spent three days recovering from the bone bruise that caused.

The Nats can only hope Ruiz will find his rhythm now that he's back in the lineup for tonight's game against the Braves.
Having reported no problems during a pinch-hitting appearance Tuesday, and having made it through batting practice today, Ruiz was included in a late-submitted lineup for the second game of the Nationals' series in Atlanta.

"He did everything yesterday, all activities. He says he feels good," manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "He pinch-hit yesterday, said he felt fine. So he's going to give it a whirl today."

The Nats really would like to start getting a more substantial look at Ruiz, who to date hasn't really played enough to merit any serious evaluation. His offensive numbers - which include three singles, one RBI, zero walks and three strikeouts in 21 plate appearances - don't stand out, but it's such a small sample that it's impossible for anyone to draw any real conclusions.

The one thing that has stood out is Ruiz's penchant for popping balls up in the air. He's hit twice as many balls in the air as on the ground, though few have been well-struck line drives so far.

"We talked a little bit about him getting ready (in the batter's box) a little earlier, being more on time," Martinez said. "I'd rather see him hitting balls in the air than hitting ground balls. But I definitely want him to set up a little bit earlier. I talked to him about it. Yesterday he had a really good BP. So we'll take it from there."

Given the 23-year-old's track record in the minors - he hit .311 with 23 homers, a .374 on-base percentage and .973 OPS in 81 games at Triple-A - the Nationals are confident Ruiz will figure it out soon enough, and they're being careful not to try to tinker with his swing at this early stage.

Above all else, they just want to get Ruiz on the field and into their lineup as much as possible over the season's final 3 1/2 weeks.

"I want Keibert to go out there and play four or five days in a row, just let him get out there and play and learn," Martinez said. "He felt good today. I watched him take batting practice yesterday, and he swung the bat well in BP, so it was good to see."

* Jordy Mercer is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg this evening, and if all goes well the Nationals expect to have the veteran infielder back with them to finish out the season.

Mercer has been on the 10-day injured list since July 24 with a left calf strain. As much of Martinez's staff was sidelined with COVID-19 shortly after the trade deadline, the veteran infielder actually wound up serving as an unofficial bench coach for about a week.

But as the rebuilt team tries to make it through the finish line, Mercer could find his way back onto the active roster and get some playing time. At the moment, the Nationals' only backup infielder is Adrián Sanchez. They also recently placed outfielder Gerardo Parra on the 10-day IL with inflammation in his surgically repaired knee, so there could be a need for another veteran on the bench.

Martinez said Mercer is scheduled to play five innings for Harrisburg tonight, then return to DH on Thursday. The club will re-evaluate his situation after that.