Esteury Ruiz keeps making a case that the Miami Marlins pulled off a sharp pickup.
Not every valuable player lives in the highlight reel of home runs and big RBI totals. Ruiz brings a different kind of impact - the kind built on speed, awareness, and doing the little things well. That was on display Tuesday night when he took Paul Skenes deep, then later scored on Xavier Edwards’ RBI single.
Ruiz may not be in the lineup every day, but he’s become one of the key starters in the game’s flow. And the numbers behind his season are hard to ignore. He now shares a rare statistical club with Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, who is one of the top NL MVP candidates: the only two players in MLB this season with 25-plus stolen bases and a wRC+ of at least 140, with a minimum of 150 plate appearances.
That’s the kind of combination that turns heads. Ruiz has 25-plus steals already, and he could still finish with 35.
He’s only eight away from that mark. Forty would be even more eye-catching, but that would take a lot more playing time, and the calendar is working against him.
Kyle Stowers being sidelined with hamstring problems could create more chances for Ruiz to get on base and keep running. His career high in stolen bases is 67, which he set with the Athletics in 2023 over 132 games.
This season has already been productive in other ways, too. In 76 games in 2026, Ruiz has set career highs with six home runs and a .266 batting average. He’s also shown better discipline at the plate, drawing 18 walks, the second-highest total of his career and three shy of his personal best.
So which season stands out more, 2023 or 2026? Ruiz had more volume and a larger role in 2023, but there’s a strong argument that this year has been his best.
He’s doing it on a better team, and his at-bats have improved. His defense, as noted, is not elite.
What separates him is still the same package that makes him valuable anywhere: contact, speed, and the ability to force pitchers into mistakes.
That pressure matters. Ruiz changes the game once he reaches base, and Miami’s win over the Pirates showed how pitching and timely offensive adjustments can still swing a night.
In Other News...
Marlins Deadline Trade Suddenly Looks Even Worse Than Fans Feared
The Marlins trade of Liam Hicks at the deadline was easy enough to talk around at the time, since the roster looked sturdy enough in a few spots to absorb the loss. But the move always came with some risk because the return was built around a prospect package rather than immediate help, and that has made the decision a sore point with fans who wanted a more direct upgrade for the present tense.
Now the margin for error looks a lot thinner. With Kyle Stowers on the injured list, Miami is suddenly stretched at first base and leaning on less experienced options to keep the position covered, which only sharpens the frustration around a deadline deal that already drew heavy backlash. What once looked like a calculated future-minded move has started to look, from the outside, like a gamble the Marlins could not afford to make. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Lose A Promising Young Arm As Max Meyer Gets Relief
A difficult week on the pitching front got a little brighter for Miami, but only on one side of the equation. Max Meyer, sidelined by a neck strain, is expected back this season after a cortisone injection, a welcome sign for a rotation that has already had to lean on depth. For a club trying to piece together innings, any help from a young starter matters, and Meyers timeline at least offers some hope.
The downside is the loss of another arm the Marlins had reason to watch closely. Manager Clayton McCullough said right-hander William Kempner will have elbow surgery, removing a pitcher who had just reached the majors and posted a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in his debut season. The team has not detailed the procedure, but the recovery is expected to stretch deep into next year, a tough blow for a pitcher who had begun to carve out a place in the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Face A Defining August Stretch After Their Brutal July Slide
July was a wrecking ball for the Marlins, and the damage went well beyond one bad month. A 12-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history, sent Miami tumbling in the National League Wild Card race and turned what had been a promising summer into a search for answers. Even so, the front office stayed committed to the group in place, with president of baseball operations Peter Bendix opting to keep the core intact rather than sacrifice young talent at the trade deadline.
Now the schedule is asking the Marlins to justify that patience. Miami enters a critical upcoming series against the Phillies sitting 3.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot, which makes this stretch feel less like a routine late-summer matchup and more like an early referendum on the season. The Marlins do not need to erase July in one week, but they do need to show the skid is not the final word on their playoff chase. [Read more 🡒]