UPDATE: The Phillies might have caught a break. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that Ruiz believes he suffered a cramp in his side last night rather than an oblique strain.
He is scheduled to take batting practice today and could be back in the Phillies’ lineup in the next couple of days.
9:22 AM: It’s still too soon to call the Phillies done, but they continue to make things pretty hard on themselves.
Carlos Ruiz left last night’s game against the Blue Jays with a left oblique strain. He received treatment after the game and will be re-evaluated later today, but Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that he expects Ruiz will be sidelined for at least the next few days.
Manuel is obviously holding out hope here, but given what we know about these types of injuries, a stint on the disabled list appears likely.
While the Phillies’ offense has struggled without Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Ruiz is in the midst of a career year. The 33-year-old backstop is hitting .363/.424/.578 with eight homers, 35 RBI and a 1.002 OPS in 58 games while throwing out 37 percent (17-for-46) of attempted basestealers. Brian Schneider will fill in behind the plate for now while Eric Kratz is expected to join the team in Toronto today.
