Former Phillies Slugger Darin Ruf Suing Reds Over Career-Ending Injury

A lawsuit has been field by the former Philadelphia Phillies player.

Mar 26, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf (18) runs to first base during a spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Park. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

News broke late on May 22 that featured former Philadelphia Phillies player Darin Ruf.

According to the Associated Press, Ruf has filed a lawsuit against the Cincinnati Reds for negligence when it came to failing to maintain safe field conditions, specifically citing the presence of the unpadded metal tarp roller that caused his career-ending injury in 2023.

This came when Ruf was playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.

On June 2, 2023, he ran from his first base position in the third inning of a game between the Brewers and Reds to catch a fly ball that was in foul territory. Upon attempting to make the catch, he collided with the tarp roller.

Former Milwaukee Brewers player Darin Ruf is suing the Cincinnati Reds, claiming "unsafe field conditions" at Great American Ball Park caused a career-ending leg injury on this play in 2023. Lawsuit seeks damages for negligence.

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Ruf suffered a knee laceration on that play, but was later diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of his patella and was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

He never played a game in Major League Baseball again after that.

"This didn't need to happen," Ruf said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I wish it didn't happen. Players shouldn't have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field."

His complaint says he suffered "permanent and substantial deformities to his knee" and is seeking damages for that, stating the end of the tarp roller had no protective cushioning to shield from the sharp metal.

The lawsuit was filed in the Hamilton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas.

At the time of writing, there was no detail about what Ruf is searching for outside of punitive and compensatory damages.

Ruf was a 20th-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2009. And after performing well during the early part of his professional career on the farm where he was named Eastern League MVP and the best position player prospect in Philadelphia's pipeline in 2012, he was promoted for his Major League debut to close that season.

The slugger never quite lived up to the hype he built for himself as a result of his performances in the minors, but he finished his five-year Phillies tenure with a slash line of .240/.314/.433, 35 homers, 35 doubles and 96 RBI.