Keibert Ruiz

Keibert Ruiz

27-Year-Old CatcherC
Washington Nationals
2026 Stats
AVG
.280
HR
6
RBI
34
R
28
SB
2
Rest-of-Season Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
Ruiz's Statcast page looks more like that of a reserve infielder than a strapping catcher. He has one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league-overall, not just among catchers-but his quality of contact is weak. Before last season, he was a fly ball hitter, so he would occasionally power one over the fence. However, last season his ground ball rate spiked to a career-high 47.4 percent, further limiting his power. Slowly hit ground balls combined with third-percentile sprint speed are not a recipe for success. In late June, Ruiz was struck in the head by a line drive while he was in the dugout. The freak accident cost him the season, as he spent the remainder of the year on concussion protocol. Expected to be cleared for spring training, Ruiz is still set to serve as the Nationals' regular catcher despite poor defensive metrics thanks to the eight-year extension he signed in 2023, but while steady playing time will help his counting stats, his overall offensive output is likely to remain modest unless he rediscovers his fly ball tendencies. Read Past Outlooks
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Rest of Season
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Dynasty
From Preseason
#376
ADP
League Majors
Bats B
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'0"
Weight 222
DOB 7/20/1998
Born Valencia, Venezuela
College None
Drafted 2014 LAD
Signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension with the Nationals in March of 2023. Contract includes $12 million team option for 2031 and $14 million team option for 2032.
Receiving evening off
CWashington Nationals
July 6, 2026
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
Analysis
The Nationals will give Ruiz a break for the series opener after he went 2-for-3 with a double and a run while catching six innings of Sunday's 11-5 loss to the Pirates. Drew Millas will step in for Ruiz behind the plate and will bat eighth.
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Batting Stats
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
3
1
6
7
13
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
3
21
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+6%
OPS vs LHP
2026
 
 
+6%
OPS vs LHP
2025
 
 
+29%
OPS vs LHP
2024
 
 
+11%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .670 260 21 5 34 1 .261 .288 .382
Since 2024vs Right .634 697 72 16 82 4 .239 .270 .365
2026vs Left .797 74 9 2 13 1 .306 .324 .472
2026vs Right .752 131 19 4 21 1 .264 .298 .455
2025vs Left .725 54 2 1 8 0 .294 .333 .392
2025vs Right .562 213 17 1 17 0 .235 .263 .299
2024vs Left .575 132 10 2 13 0 .222 .250 .325
2024vs Right .636 353 36 11 44 3 .231 .263 .372
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Minor League Splits→ View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+15%
OPS at Home
2026
 
 
+40%
OPS at Home
2025
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024Home .689 485 48 11 62 3 .267 .291 .399
Since 2024Away .597 472 45 10 54 2 .221 .258 .339
2026Home .888 109 17 4 19 2 .324 .349 .539
2026Away .634 96 11 2 15 0 .231 .260 .374
2025Home .666 131 9 2 15 0 .264 .298 .368
2025Away .527 136 10 0 10 0 .231 .257 .269
2024Home .616 245 22 5 28 1 .245 .261 .354
2024Away .623 240 24 8 29 2 .212 .258 .365
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Keibert Ruiz compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.27
 
BB Rate
3.4%
 
K Rate
12.7%
 
BABIP
.293
 
ISO
.181
 
AVG
.280
 
OBP
.307
 
SLG
.461
 
OPS
.768
 
wOBA
.332
 
Exit Velocity
90.1 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
34.7%
 
Barrels/PA
2.9%
 
Expected BA
.219
 
Expected SLG
.364
 
Sprint Speed
21.6 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
39.3%
 
Line Drive %
17.3%
 
Fly Ball %
43.5%
 
Prospect Rankings History
View Complete Keibert Ruiz Prospect Ranking History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Ruiz was basically a league-average hitter in 2023 but took a big step backward in 2024. Among players with at least 400 plate appearances, only Jose Siri had a worse on-base percentage than Ruiz's .260 mark, and only five players had an OPS lower than Ruiz's .619. The batted ball data wasn't any better, with Ruiz sporting an average exit velocity in the fourth percentile and a barrel rate in the sixth percentile. Ruiz remained an elite contact hitter with just an 11.1 percent strikeout rate, but even that wasn't enough to keep his average afloat, in large part because he hits so many weak fly balls and popups. Working in Ruiz's favor is that he plays a ton for a catcher, with only three other backstops accumulating more plate appearances than him since 2022. It allows him to accumulate enough stats to be a viable second fantasy catcher even if the rate stats are likely to be lackluster.
Ruiz posted a .673 OPS with seven homers and 31 RBI in 112 games during 2022, and he showed some improvements last season. The 25-year-old inked an extension to keep him with the Nationals through at least 2030 just prior to the season, and he had a .260/.308/.409 slash line with 18 long balls, 67 RBI and 55 runs in 136 contests. Ruiz ranked fifth among catchers with 562 plate appearances and had an elite 10.3 percent strikeout rate, which ranked third in MLB. His strong bat-to-ball skills have translated to the majors, but he's been unable to make consistent hard contact with a 4.9 percent barrel rate and 31.9 percent hard-hit rate in his two years as a starter. Ruiz has a lower ceiling than the top catchers in the league with his power limitations amid a weak offense, but his regular spot in the lineup gives him a strong floor for fantasy managers, and there's still room to grow given he plays the most difficult position on the field.
The key piece in the return for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer, Ruiz did not take off in the way the Nationals were surely hoping for, but it's important to remember that not all growth is linear. Ruiz displayed advanced contact skills at age 23/24, striking out at just an 11.5% clip. He hit for a .251 average which is respectable enough though his Statcast xBA was all the way up at .277, ranking in the top 10% of the league. The thump was lacking, with Ruiz's hard-hit and barrel rates leaving a lot to be desired, but the extra-base pop is in there as evidenced by his 24 homers across three levels in 2021. The bat-to-ball skills give him a great foundation to build on and Ruiz can run a little bit, bringing an element that is rare for the catcher position. There is some sneaky upside here as the playing time is locked in. Ruiz ended the year on the injured list with a testicular contusion but there has been nothing to suggest his offseason routine will be affected.
Catching prospects with great hit tools don't come around very often, but Ruiz fits the bill. He was the headliner of the trade that netted the Dodgers two months of Max Scherzer and a year-plus of Trea Turner. Ruiz slowly grew into more than just a contact hitter in the minors, but he'll likely always bit hit-over-power. The 23-year-old switch hitter slashed .310/.377/.616 with 21 home runs and a 33:30 K:BB in 316 plate appearances at Triple-A last year. It's a prime Jonathan Lucroy set of fantasy skills if all works out, and he is one of the few Nationals position players whose role is set for the foreseeable future.
Once tabbed as the Dodgers' catcher of the future, Ruiz has lost some of his prospect luster due to both a flatlining of his development and the growing backstop depth within the organization. While he batted a healthy .316 in his first stint at Triple-A in 2019, that came on the heels of a .254 average over a much larger sample size at Double-A during the same season, and he hit only six home runs in 314 at-bats between both levels. The cancellation of the 2020 minor-league campaign did Ruiz no favors, though he did get a brief callup to the majors, collecting a pair of hits -- including a home run -- in eight at-bats. Ruiz's contact skills (his career minor-league strikeout rate is less than 10%) could help him forge a career as a starting catcher with limited power, but with Will Smith behind the plate in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future, Ruiz may need to be traded to get that opportunity.
From 2015-17, Ruiz was an ascending prospect, at times being referred to as the best catching prospect in the game or a player who would soon earn that title. In 2018, he plateaued during his first season at Double-A, and last year his stock took a nose dive when he performed worse in a repeat of the Texas League. He eventually got the bump to Triple-A but then his season was cut short when he broke his pinky finger. Ruiz had more walks (30) than strikeouts (22) in this down year, but he had a poor 22.6 Hard% and hit just four home runs (.076 ISO) in 76 games at Double-A. He could still develop into a Wilson Ramos or Jonathan Lucroy type of catcher who doesn't need to hit 20 HR to be a top-10 fantasy option, but that would require a prominent role. Will Smith clearly looks like the long-term starter, and Connor Wong and Diego Cartaya also linger as intriguing long-term options at the position.
Not only was Ruiz the second-youngest player in the Texas League (behind Fernando Tatis Jr.), he was three years younger than the next youngest catcher at Double-A and was younger than all but one catcher at High-A. The rarity of a catcher spending his age-19/20 season at Double-A cannot be overstated. He still managed to be a league average hitter and ranked fourth in the league in BB/K (0.79), so while his slash line and .133 ISO do not stand out, the fact he will open the year at Triple-A and is almost 20 months younger than 2018 No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart should excite his dynasty-league managers. Ruiz is not without offensive upside -- he uses the whole field and rarely strikes out, so he could hit for a very high average, especially relative to other catchers. He is a career .309 hitter in the minors, even after hitting .268 last year. Ruiz won’t be a big power threat, but should hit double-digit home runs over a full season. He should stick at catcher.
Ruiz continues to defy the typical developmental curve for catchers. He hit for absurdly high batting averages in rookie ball, which can happen for any young hitter in a small sample in advantageous conditions. However, even those most optimistic about Ruiz's bat couldn't have foreseen him being 27 percent better than league average as an 18-year-old in the Midwest League and 19 percent better than league average as a 19-year-old in the California League. He has never hit worse than .315 stateside and his 14.4 percent strikeout rate in the Cal League was the worst mark of his career. The switch hitter also started tapping into some power (.181 ISO at High-A). Catching prospects who hit this much this early typically come with the caveat that they probably won't stick behind the plate, but Ruiz also grades out well as a receiver. He won't turn 20 until after the All-Star break, at which point he will likely be at Double-A, having cemented his status as the best catching prospect in the game.
Not only did Ruiz rake as the youngest player in the Pioneer League, but he has the defensive chops to stick behind the plate. He has hit .300 or better at every stop as a professional, and his 11.2 percent strikeout rate with Ogden actually established a career high. Elite contact skills from both sides of the plate currently highlight the offensive profile, but as he adds strength to his 6-foot, 165-pound frame, his doubles power should start to translate into at least fringe-average game power. Ruiz will head to the Midwest League this season and won't turn 19 until July 20, so it should not be alarming if he struggles to replicate his offensive success, at least initially. Of course, if he continues to hit in a more neutral hitting environment as one of the youngest players in the league, he will quickly be seen as one of the best catching prospects in the game.
More Fantasy News
Heads to bench
CWashington Nationals
July 4, 2026
Ruiz is out of the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.
Analysis
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Resting up Wednesday
CWashington Nationals
July 1, 2026
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Analysis
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Drives in three in win
CWashington Nationals
June 30, 2026
Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Red Sox.
Analysis
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Idle Saturday
CWashington Nationals
June 27, 2026
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Orioles.
Analysis
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Resting Wednesday
CWashington Nationals
June 24, 2026
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Option for Yankees?
CWashington Nationals
June 20, 2026
The Yankees could be interested in acquiring Ruiz before the trade deadline, Jim Bowden of The Athletic speculates.
Analysis
According to Bowden, the Yankees could use a right-handed-hitting catcher. A blockbuster trade with the Orioles to land Adley Rutschman looks unlikely, but Ruiz could be an attainable target. The seven-year veteran is hitting .281 with a .790 OPS, six homers and 29 RBI across 48 games this season.
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