Darin Ruf has a new home but it’s not in the majors

For the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder / first baseman, Darin Ruf was never able to capitalize on his chances to win a starting role.

Ruf alongside Darnell Sweeney was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies in order to acquire Howie Kendrick. With the loaded outfield that the Dodgers had, it was unlikely that Ruf would contribute to the team in 2017 but until news broke that he would be moving on, there were also no rumors that he wouldn’t be on the 40-man roster this year.

With the Dodgers re-signing Chase Utley and signing Franklin Gutierrez space would need to be cleared on the roster. The moves have yet to be officially announced and with another outfielder joining the team, there was no longer room for a former member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Have no fear because Ruf has landed on his feet, it just didn’t happen in MLB or the United States. Ruf has signed a $1.1 million deal with the Samsung Lions in the Korean Baseball Organization, according to Yonhap News. It’s the first of two moves that the Dodgers will need to make in order to announce their two new signings.

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For a classic AAAA player, this isn’t the worst move for Ruf but it is likely the end of his career in the majors. While always dominating minor league opposition, Ruf was never able to cut it with the big league squad while with the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season Ruf played in 43 games for the Phillies and batted .205 with a .573 OPS.

According to Matt Breen, Ruf is the sixth player from the Phillies’ season-ending 40-man roster to head overseas. Jimmy Paredes, Elvis Araujo, David Buchanan, Frank Herrmann and Phil Klein have signed with Japanese teams.

Next: Could Andrew Knapp be the backup at catcher and first base?

Ruf will be taking his talents to the KBO and we wish him the best in his endeavors. he got his chances with the Phillies but wasn’t able to stick. Hopefully, he’ll be able to carve out a career for himself overseas now.