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| ▲ In this file photo from April 8, 2022, Rio Ruiz of the LG Twins celebrates his triple against the NC Dinos during the bottom of the eighth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this file photo from April 8, 2022, Rio Ruiz of the LG Twins celebrates with teammate Kim Min-sung after scoring a run against the NC Dinos during the bottom of the eighth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
baseball club-player
LG Twins waive slumping hitter Ruiz
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- The LG Twins announced Monday they have cut ties with their slumping hitter Rio Ruiz, letting go of the former major leaguer after barely two months in South Korea.
The Twins said they have asked the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to place Ruiz on waivers. It ends Ruiz's brief KBO career after 27 games, over which he batted .155/.234/.262 with a home run and six RBIs.
The Twins' general manager, Cha Myeong-seok, traveled to the United States over the weekend to scout and sign a new foreign hitter. KBO clubs are each allowed to carry up to three foreign players, with a maximum of two pitchers each. Teams typically sign two starting pitchers and one position player. The Twins currently have starters Casey Kelly and Adam Plutko on their roster.
The writing had been on the wall for Ruiz's departure for quite some time. He was first demoted to the minor leagues on May 2, after batting .171 in April. He was called up before a game on May 25, but batted 0-for-8 with a walk and a strikeout in three games since the promotion.
The Twins took Ruiz off their active roster for the second time on Sunday, and Ruiz did not report to the team's minor league complex in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul.
Ruiz, who had 315 big league games to his credit, had signed a one-year deal in December worth up to US$1 million, the maximum amount allowed for all first-year foreign players.
Expectations were admittedly high for the third baseman, but Ruiz ended up becoming only the latest in a string of ex-big league hitters who didn't pan out in LG's pinstripes.
Since Luis Jimenez ended his three-year run with the Twins from 2015 to 2017, the Seoul-based club has now gone through seven foreign hitters.
Last year, Justin Bour, a three-time 20-homer man in the majors, batted .170 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 32 games, after replacing injured Roberto Ramos.
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