Ruiz on his up-and-down season

The holiday season is presenting a new set of challenges for Orioles third baseman Rio Ruiz, who can't seem to avoid them. Some are a grind, others pure joy.

Trying to make the club out of spring training, trying to stay in the lineup, trying to get back to the majors after a surprise demotion, life as a first-time father.

Which brings him to the current situation, relayed with a laugh as he ponders spending Christmas with his 5-month-old son, Luca James.

"Completely different," he said Thursday night on the "Orioles Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan.

"Biggest dilemma me and my wife (Michelle) have right now is, do we get him a gift? He's not going to be able to open the gifts. But we spoil him every day. We give him something new all the time. That's the biggest dilemma. But it's an exciting time."

Ruiz had so many ups and downs in 2019 that he must wonder how it would feel to stay on one floor.

The Orioles acquired Ruiz on a waiver claim at the Winter Meetings and he made the opening day roster for the first time after spending parts of the previous three seasons with the Braves. He still beams when recounting the memory of having his name announced at Yankee Stadium.

Which Orioles player drove in the first run of the season? That would be Ruiz with a fourth-inning single off Masahiro Tanaka on March 28. Plenty of bar bets to be won with that gem.

Ruiz also is responsible for one of the most memorable moments of 2019 with a walk-off home run on Aug. 11, less than 24 hours after the Astros rolled to a 23-2 win at Camden Yards.

The Orioles' first walk-off win of the season. The first walk-off homer of Ruiz's career and his first ball to land on Eutaw Street.

The highest up for Ruiz on the professional side of his life came after he reached the lowest point. The Orioles optioned him on July 24 following a loss in Arizona. He was recalled Aug. 9 after the Orioles placed DJ Stewart on the concussion injured list.

Ruiz had gone 11-for-38 with one home run in July and made 10 starts before the Orioles optioned him, but he was batting .238 with a .641 OPS and his removal from the active roster was purely a baseball decision. He played in five games in the minors, the first two with Double-A Bowie to keep him closer to home after his son arrived at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

"It's not something ideally that I wanted to happen, but it was kind of a blessing in disguise," he said. "I was struggling a little bit and kind of pressing, and I needed that time down in Triple-A to really work on things I needed to work on. Like I said, it was a blessing in disguise and it all worked out."

This is where Ruiz's season again shifts in direction. He hit a pinch-hit home run on Aug. 10 with his son at the ballpark for the first time and followed the next day with his dramatic walk-off against Astros closer Roberto Osuna to cap a three-run rally after the Orioles lost the lead in the top of the ninth.

The media surrounded his locker, a scene that doesn't routinely play out for him.

"Definitely unbeatable, man," he said while trying to describe the moment. "The first time that I had that happen, a walk-off in the big leagues, is something special, but especially to have that happen after the previous night, put us back in the win column. Just how that game went, it was great to be on the winning side of that one."

Ruiz is expected to get another opportunity to at least share third base after batting .232/.306/.376 with 13 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs in 127 games. He posted a .306 average with runners in scoring position and a .366 average with RISP and two outs.

"I was really pleased with the progress throughout the whole season," he said. "It was my first full season in the big leagues, so I knew there were going to be some bumps in the road and the learning curve and everything that comes with it. But I felt like I dealt with it well.

"There was some adversity that I faced after the All-Star break, but I kind of brushed that aside and came back even stronger. And I think I walked away from the season very pleased."

Ruiz could land in another platoon-type situation with Hanser Alberto. Eleven of his 12 home runs came against right-handers, but he also hit .228. He registered a .250 average versus lefties.

"Once I came back from Triple-A, I kind of started attacking things differently and things started evening out," he said.

The chances to play against left-handers would have increased if Alberto didn't hit .398 against them.

"The thing I can control is when I get an opportunity against lefties, do something," Ruiz said. "I can't go 0-for against a lefty and expect to be in there again, especially with the way Hanser played this whole entire season. He carried our team on his back, along with a couple others.

"It's a friendly competitiveness. You want your guys to do well, you want your teammates to do well. You never want to see somebody struggling, you never want to see somebody going through bad times. When you do, you're there for them. You understand that.

"Hanser was just a stud. Didn't matter where he was, didn't matter who he was facing. He was going to do something special."