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Keibert Ruiz

Keibert Ruiz

27-Year-Old CatcherC
Washington Nationals
Out
Injury Concussion
Est. Return 2/21/2026
2025 Stats
AVG
.247
HR
2
RBI
25
R
19
SB
0
2026 Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
Unlock Our Projections
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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RANKS
From Preseason
#Subscriber-Only
Overall Rank
#375
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.
Competing for starting spot
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
February 2, 2026
Ruiz (concussion) will compete with Harry Ford for the starting catcher job heading into the 2026 season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
Camerato states that it's not clear whether Ruiz is back at 100 percent after missing significant time a season ago due to a concussion, but the team should have more information on his status once he reports to spring training. Ruiz has had a firm handle on the starting catching gig over the last four seasons with Washington, but he'll be challenged by one of the Nationals' recently acquired prospects in Ford.
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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
9
20
4
1
4
13
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
3
2
2
1
2
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+3%
OPS vs LHP
2025
 
 
+29%
OPS vs LHP
2024
 
 
+11%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+3%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023vs Left .670 345 30 4 38 0 .264 .299 .371
Since 2023vs Right .651 969 90 29 111 4 .239 .279 .372
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
2023vs Left .730 159 18 1 17 0 .289 .327 .403
2023vs Right .712 403 37 17 50 1 .249 .300 .412
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Minor League Splits→ View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+4%
OPS on Road
2025
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
+17%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023Home .643 644 54 13 73 1 .250 .278 .365
Since 2023Away .668 670 66 20 76 3 .242 .290 .378
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
2023Home .658 268 23 6 30 0 .248 .284 .374
2023Away .772 294 32 12 37 1 .271 .330 .442
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
0.31
 
BB Rate
3.0%
 
K Rate
9.7%
 
BABIP
.268
 
ISO
.071
 
AVG
.247
 
OBP
.277
 
SLG
.318
 
OPS
.595
 
wOBA
.265
 
Exit Velocity
86.2 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
23.0%
 
Barrels/PA
1.9%
 
Expected BA
.272
 
Expected SLG
.348
 
Sprint Speed
20.9 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
47.4%
 
Line Drive %
20.9%
 
Fly Ball %
31.7%
 
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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Nationals Depth Chart
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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
Continuing to prepare for return
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
September 15, 2025
The Nationals announced Monday that Ruiz (concussion) will continue to participate in baseball activities this week, though it's unclear if he'll return from the 7-day injured list before the end of the season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Analysis
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Still having concussion symptoms
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
September 8, 2025
Ruiz has been pulled off his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Monday due to mild headaches and will rejoin the Nationals in Miami to re-enter concussion protocol, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
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Won't return this weekend
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
September 5, 2025
Ruiz (concussion) will remain on his rehab assignment through the weekend, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reported Friday.
Analysis
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Starting rehab stint
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
September 2, 2025
Ruiz (concussion) reported to Double-A Harrisburg to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Analysis
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Rehab assignment coming soon
CWashington Nationals
Concussion
August 29, 2025
Ruiz (concussion) is ramping up baseball activities and is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reported Friday.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Improved defense in 2024
CWashington Nationals
September 5, 2024
Ruiz has improved some of his defensive metrics this season compared to 2023, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post.
Analysis
The 26-year-old had an ugly defensive campaign last season as he posted a minus-23 run value, minus-13 catcher framing runs and minus-10 blocks above average, but he's improved those figures in 2024 to minus-four, zero and plus-one, respectively. There's still some room for growth, but the improvement makes him a much more palatable option behind the plate from a defensive perspective. However, that defensive progression has been offset by poor offensive performance, as his .223/.256/.363 slash line would be a career worst.
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