Carlos Ruiz Activated From DL

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 06: Carlos Ruiz #51 of the Philadelphia Phillies congratulates teammate Hunter Pence #3 after scoring a run in the sixth inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on September 6, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 6-3. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Carlos Ruiz thought his season might be over, but during the team's recent six game trip to Atlanta and Cincinnati, he saw progress in his injured foot and has been activated from the disabled list. Ruiz was activated before Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies catcher has been suffering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He has not played a game since August 2nd.
The "Chooooooccccch" chant hasn't been heard in stadiums in over a month since Ruiz went on the DL. Erik Kratz and Brian Schneider have been sharing catching duties while the team hopes for a playoff opportunity. Even though Ruiz was activated from the DL, there are several reasons why the team should not rush Ruiz into play before he is ready.
1. Don't risk reinjury.
No position is more likely to be injured than the catcher. Until Bud Selig steps in and makes a rule change, base runners are able to run into the catcher at home plate. If the Phillies push Ruiz too much, he could re-aggravate his foot injury and could cost him the start of next season. Also, the pressure a catcher puts on his feet when crouched behind home plate is a lot for someone who missed more than a month with plantar fasciitis. Since Ruiz was batting .335 this year, it is also expected he will have to run the bases, another way of reinjuring himself.
2. Erik Kratz can play. 
No one had really heard of Erik Kratz before he started filling in for Ruiz. They hoped he would be some young stud who would be the team's future catcher. Kratz is 32, but he can play baseball. Kratz is hitting .268 and has four home runs and 11 RBIs in 17 games. He's also come up with some clutch, key hits that have helped the Phillies win games. Ruiz doesn't need to worry about job security however.
3. Make sure he's healthy for next year.
Ruiz's last year of his contract is 2013 so he will be looking to make some money in the offseason. And rightly so, he will want to be healthy for next season. A healthy Ruiz could serve as trade bait for the Phillies next year. The team got catching prospect Tommy Joseph from the Giants in the Hunter Pence deal, so they have a catcher for the future. The likelihood of resigning a 34 year old catcher may be slim.
4. This year is basically over. 
There's not much left to play for. Philadelphia is 5 games behind in the Wild Card race, and is not likely to make that up in this last month. At this point it would be wisest for them to start playing prospects and see how next year's team may look.
Bringing Ruiz back won't make much of a difference for the team, but it may make a difference in his recovery from plantar fasciitis.

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