Wilkerson recalled; Rio Ruiz designated

BALTIMORE -- In a move that could end one of their regulars' tenure in the organization, the Orioles on Tuesday designated struggling infielder Rio Ruiz for assignment. The team recalled utility man Stevie Wilkerson from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move.

Ruiz, the first player Mike Elias acquired as the Orioles' general manager, arrived in the organization off waivers from the Braves in December 2018. He hit .220 with 24 homers and a .672 OPS over parts of the past three seasons, mostly as the O’s everyday third baseman.

“He’s somebody who’s been here for the better part of three years, a guy that everybody really likes a lot," manager Brandon Hyde said. "He’s a clubhouse favorite, he’s a coach's favorite. He’s easy to like, easy to coach.

"You get to know somebody not only on a professional level, but on a personal level when you’re [around] players as much as we are, so it’s an extremely difficult day to say goodbye. He’s going to go through the waiver process, and whatever’s best for him, I hope it works out, whether it’s with us or another club.”

Shifted to second base this season after the signing of Maikel Franco in March, Ruiz hit .167 with three homers and 29 strikeouts in 101 plate appearances. The Orioles have seven days to trade or release Ruiz; he can remain in the organization if he clears waivers.

“It was everything I could ask for defensively,” Hyde said. “It’s not easy to pick up a position at the end of Spring Training, do it with a great attitude, work his tail off every single day to get acclimated to the position, and I thought he did great.”

Popular and versatile, Wilkerson is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2019, when he emerged as a fan favorite due to several emergency pitching appearances and hit .225 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs. On July 26, 2019, Wilkerson became the only position player to earn a save, earning the nickname “Dr. Poo Poo” for the mid-50-mph lob balls that became his signature pitch.

Wilkerson, who missed the 2020 season with a broken left ring finger, figures to share time at second base with Pat Valaika. He started at second in Tuesday’s 13-6 loss to the Rays at Camden Yards, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

“Both of those guys can play different spots also, but I’d like to give Stevie a little bit of a look,” Hyde said. “I’ll probably play the hot hand. Whoever’s swinging the bat the best and playing the best, I’ll be putting him in the lineup.”

From the (MiLB) training room
The Orioles this week placed No. 8 prospect Yusniel Diaz on the seven-day Minor League injured list, meaning the outfielder will miss at least another week for Norfolk due to a right hip strain. Diaz has already been sidelined for a week due to the issue, which occurred while he was pulling into second base May 9 against Jacksonville.

It’s the latest in a long line of lower-half muscle injuries for Diaz, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade in July 2018 and has missed time to hamstring, thigh, quad and ankle issues in each season since. The 24-year-old went 5-for-25 (.200) with one home run in his first six games at Norfolk.

Another injury struck Norfolk on Tuesday night, when Richie Martin left the Tides’ 4-0 loss to Jacksonville with left wrist pain after colliding into the center-field wall. Martin, the O’s primary shortstop in 2019, was making his second start of the season in center field. His status was not immediately know, but Martin was scheduled to undergo testing within the next 24 hours.