The Phillies find reliever Jose Ruiz ‘really interesting.’ Here’s how he could help them this season.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Right-handed reliever José Ruiz is not on the Phillies’ 40-man roster. He’s a 29-year-old journeyman with no options who has pitched for three organizations — the Padres, White Sox and Diamondbacks — in a litany of roles. He has struggled with his control and his home run rate. But it is March 14 and Ruiz is still here, pitching in Grapefruit League games for the Phillies.

There’s a reason why. When he was signed to a minor-league contract in November, the Phillies saw some opportunities to unlock his stuff. Ruiz’s average fastball velocity in 2023 — 96.3 mph — ranks in the 87th percentile in MLB. His strikeout rate did not correlate to that. In 2023, he struck out batters at a rate of 18.8%, which ranked in the bottom 18% of the league.

He has always been able to generate whiffs but not strikeouts. He lacked a good put-away pitch. The Phillies saw a chance.

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“I mean, we’re not afraid to put guys on the 40-man [roster] if they’re performing,” manager Rob Thomson said on Thursday. “Ruiz has really good stuff. I mean, high velocity. The curveball is good. He’s working on this kind of change-split thing for lefthanders and it’s coming along fine, he got a strikeout on it today.

Thomson added: “He’s really interesting. He’s got a good arm. And I don’t think he fears anything at all.”

They’ve made a few adjustments that are helping Ruiz already. He’s now throwing a four-seam and a two-seam fastball, which is a pitch they think can play well against righties. The change-split should help play against lefties, which would enable Ruiz to turn a lineup over.

The Phillies would like him to throw his breaking ball and his sinker more, especially in the zone. Ruiz posted a 10.1% walk rate in 2023 and a 12.5% walk rate in 2022. A focus in 2024 will be to throw all of his pitches in the zone. They believe his stuff can play.

“When I was with the Diamondbacks, I was trying to hit the corners,” Ruiz said. “I was trying to avoid them from hitting it. It was impossible. When you try to do too much, to be too perfect, it’s not good for you. So, I started to struggle. This year, I’m going to try to get more of my pitches in the strike zone. Pitch with confidence.”

The adjustments are working well this spring. Ruiz has a 1.50 ERA in six outings with six strikeouts and three walks. The Phillies are going to begin stretching him out to two or three innings. He is comfortable in just about any relief role, and pitching on back-to-back (or three straight) days.

Like the Phillies, Ruiz thinks there is unreached potential there. He believes he is in the right place to reach it. He’s enjoyed working with pitching coach Caleb Cotham and feels like the culture in the clubhouse has been a good fit for him.

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“Sometimes you see players who, because they have big salaries, they’re not talking to players in the minor leagues, or who might not make the team,” Ruiz said. “I haven’t seen that here. Everyone talks to everyone. We’re all together, we all want to help the team find success. It’s good energy.”

There are two bullpen spots left on the active roster. Ruiz would certainly be a dark horse to make the club, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. He could also start the season in triple A and contribute later in the season. At a minimum, he has piqued the Phillies’ interest.

“[He] definitely has the ability to help us,” said general manager Sam Fuld. “He’s shown a track record of being a successful major league reliever. We were thrilled to get him in the door. Like everybody else, he’s a work in progress, but certainly has weapons to get guys out. So it’ll be continual refinement to allow him to take it to the next level.”

Thomson said the Phillies received the test results for reliever Michael Rucker, who hasn’t pitched since March 1 because of a finger issue. “There’s not a blood clot, it’s not thoracic syndrome, they feel like it’s just a broken blood vessel in there,” Thomson said. “So it’s got to work itself out.” Rucker will be down until he can feel his finger again, so any timeline for his return is fluid.