Carlos Ruiz's concussion more serious than originally thought
Carlos Ruiz has not improved since suffering a concussion last week. The Phillies will be "careful" with him.
MIAMI — The immediate sensation from being struck in the head with a 78-m.p.h. curveball was not enough to prevent Carlos Ruiz from catching the final three innings of last Thursday's 14-inning win over the Marlins. But Ruiz suffered a concussion that night, and there is no progress since.
His injury "is maybe a little more serious than we originally thought, unfortunately," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "He's had concussion issues in the past, so we have to be careful with him."
Ruiz did not travel with the team. He is eligible to be activated Friday from the 7-day disabled list, but that will not happen. He is under the supervision of doctors in Philadelphia. They have administered the industry-standard IMPACT test on Ruiz.
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg described Ruiz's recovery as a "slow process."
"He's failing those tests," Sandberg said. "He still gets the dizziness and the eye sensation to brightness."
Ruiz missed 20 games with a concussion, caused by a broken bat, in 2010. The 35-year-old catcher started 63 of the team's first 78 games.
The Phillies are reduced to their third- and fourth-string catchers in Cameron Rupp and Koyie Hill. Backup catcher Wil Nieves, disabled by a strained right quadriceps, can be activated Friday. He is in Clearwater, Fla., for rehab.
"He'll need some game situations," Sandberg said.
Have a question? Tweet @magelb with the hashtag #GelbBag for possible use.