Carlos Ruiz to Begin Rehab on Saturday with IronPigs
Phillies C Carlos Ruiz, sidelined since May 21 with a right hamstring strain, is slated to begin a Major League rehab assignment when the Lehigh Valley IronPigs host Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network is the exclusive sponsor of all Major League rehabilitation appearances for the IronPigs.
Ruiz, 34, is in the final year of a three-year contract and has appeared in just 16 games with the Phillies this season, batting .235 with two RBIs. Ruiz briefly rehabbed with the IronPigs in 2009 and 2010, batting 3-for-15 in five games.
Ruiz is coming off a spectacular season in which he earned an All-Star nod for the first time in his career and established career-highs in hits (121), doubles (32), home runs (16), RBIs (68), runs (56) and total bases (201). In fact, his doubles total was tops among all catchers in the N.L. While he did miss over a month late in the season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, he ranked 4th in the N.L. in batting average (.335), 5th in on-base percentage (.399) and slugging percentage (.559) prior to the injury.
The Panama native has been an important piece of the Phillies recent successes, which includes a 2008 World Series title and another appearance in 2009. In fact, in 11 career World Series games, Ruiz is a .353 hitter with a pair of home runs.
Ruiz is an accomplished defender and in 2011 had the best catcher's ERA (3.06) in Major League Baseball. In 2010, he demonstrated his offensive prowess while leading the Phillies in batting average (.302) and on-base percentage (.400).
Ruiz was originally signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent on December 4, 1998 and made his Major League debut in 2006.
Fittingly, the Phillie Phanatic, presented by Susan Bella Jewelry, will also make his first appearance of the year at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday. After the game, fans are invited to stick around for an additional 90 minutes at the Red Robin Oasis for a postgame party featuring live music.
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation technology. More than 62,000 people come to Good Shepherd each year for specialized programs in stroke, orthopedics, brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, amputation and more. Good Shepherd provides rehabilitation services in 8 eastern Pennsylvania counties. Good Shepherd operates 21 outpatient sites, 4 inpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, 2 long-term care homes for people with severe disabilities, an independent living facility and a lifestyle products online store called Rehability. Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine, began operations in July 2008 and provides post-acute care in the Philadelphia region. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 when The Rev. John and Estella Raker invited a disabled orphan named Viola into their Allentown, Pennsylvania, home. Good Shepherd is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For more information, visit www.GoodShepherdRehab.org.
Great seats are still available for all upcoming games and can be purchased in-person at Coca-Cola Park (Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447) or online at ironpigsbaseball.com. Two brand-new seating areas, the "Hot Corner" and the "Bacon Strip" have been added to Coca-Cola Park this season, offering IronPigs fans the most unique and distinctive seating and hospitality areas in all of Minor League Baseball.
Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for all IronPigs home games presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS.
The 2013 IronPigs baseball season is presented by Capital BlueCross.