José Rafael Ruiz Aparicio (born October 21, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2017.

Career

San Diego Padres

Ruiz signed with the

as an international free agent on July 2, 2011. He started his career as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

, and made his professional debut in 2012 with the

Dominican Summer League Padres The Dominican Summer League Padres or DSL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in the Dominican Republic. The Padres compete in the Dominican Summer League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. As an independent affiliate, ...

, hitting .177 in 55 games. Ruiz played 2013 with the rookie–level

Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peor ...

, batting .224/.257/.318 with no home runs and 16 RBI. He spent the 2014 campaign with the Low–A

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays ...

, hitting .187/.201/.232 with seven RBI across 43 games. In 2015, Ruiz played in 90 games for the Single–A

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...

, slashing .214/.269/.248 with no home runs and 24 RBI. Ruiz began the 2016 season with the High–A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

, and worked to a .215/.245/.266 batting line with nine RBI. He was converted into a pitcher midway through the season. He made 11 scoreless appearances split between the AZL Padres, Low–A

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States ...

, and Lake Elsinore. On November 18, 2016, the Padres added Ruiz to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Ruiz started 2017 with the

and was called up to the Padres on July 24. In his major league debut, Ruiz pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one and walking one. He struck out

Yoenis Céspedes Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985), nicknamed "La Potencia" (The Power), is a Cuban-born former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on March 28, 2012, for the Oakland Athletics, and has ...

for his first strikeout. Ruiz was sent back down to Lake Elsinore the following day. On December 15, 2017, Ruiz was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Padres.

Chicago White Sox

He was claimed off waivers by the

on December 22, 2017. He began 2018 with the Winston-Salem Dash. On September 4, 2018, he was called up to the major leagues. He made 6 appearances for the White Sox in 2018 with a 4.15 ERA. In 2019, he had a 5.63 ERA across 40 games for the White Sox. With the 2020 Chicago White Sox, Ruiz appeared in five games, compiling a 0–0 record with 2.25 ERA and five strikeouts in four innings pitched. In 2021, Ruiz had a 1–3 record and an ERA of 3.05 in 59 games while pitching in 65 innings and striking out 63 batters. In 2022, Ruiz had a 4.60 ERA in 63 appearances with the White Sox. On January 13, 2023, Ruiz agreed to a one-year, $925,000 contract with the White Sox, avoiding salary arbitration. He struggled to start the season, allowing nine earned runs in innings pitched, for a 22.09 ERA. Ruiz was designated for assignment on April 7.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On April 9, 2023, the White Sox traded Ruiz to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 34 appearances for the Diamondbacks, he registered a 4.43 ERA with 36 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 25, Ruiz was

by Arizona. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

on July 30. Following the season, Ruiz elected free agency on November 2.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 27, 2023, Ruiz signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He began the year with the Triple–A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, logging a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 3 saves across 10 appearances. On May 3, 2024, the Phillies selected Ruiz's contract, adding him to the major league roster. Ruiz made 16 appearances for Philadelphia in 2025, but struggled to an 8.16 ERA with 12 strikeouts across innings pitched. Ruiz was designated for assignment by the Phillies on June 1, 2025.

Atlanta Braves

On June 7, 2025, Ruiz was claimed off waivers by the

. He made two appearances for Atlanta, allowing three earned runs with three strikeouts over two innings of work. On June 20, Ruiz was designated for assignment.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Jose 1994 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Padres players Atlanta Braves players Birmingham Barons players Chicago White Sox players Dominican Summer League Padres players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Lake Elsinore Storm players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Navegantes del Magallanes players Philadelphia Phillies players Baseball players from Guacara San Diego Padres players Tri-City Dust Devils players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Winston-Salem Dash players Yaquis de Obregón players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico 2023 World Baseball Classic players